Like a Tidal Wave
by Bluebell Winter
Summary: Aria Jackson is the younger twin sister to Percy Jackson, by six hours. She thought she had a normal life, but when a field trip goes bad, she realizes her normal life wasn't so normal as she believed. There's no going back to her old life she formally had, because everything in her life has changed. On Book 2. Discontinued.
1. My Math Teacher Is a Monster, Literally

A/N: I'm not sure, but I think I would make it up to the first five books, before quitting. I never wrote in first-person before, so forgive me for mistakes.

I got the idea from January Lily's fic: _From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea_.

The face-claim for Ariadne is Madison Davenport.

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" _It's like a tidal wave that rose to take the stars,  
A hurricane that wrapped around my heart._"  
\- Anatomy of a Tidal Wave by Cold

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Chapter 1: **My Math Teacher Is a Monster, Literally**

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Before I get to the part of my unfortunate, almost near death experiences, I'll give you some back-story about me.

Okay, my name is Ariadne Jackson, the twin sister to Percy Jackson. I'm younger than him by six hours. I also prefer to go by Aria, just like how my brother goes by Percy, instead of going by his full name, Perseus.

I don't think that's good enough.

All right, let's see...

I go to a school called Yancy Academy. Well, I _used_ to go to a school called Yancy Academy, a school for troubled kids.

That's not good enough, either.

Okay, the whole Yancy Academy being for troubled kids is because, well, I _am_ a troubled kid. I have ADHD and dyslexia, so I suppose that makes me troubled. I also think the fact that I listen to music like _Metallica_ and _Mötley Crüe_ , wearing all black clothes, and apparently having a bad attitude makes me a troubled kid. Maybe it's because most adults, except for my mother, don't understand my dry humor and sarcasm. I suppose _that_ makes me a troubled kid. Okay, now onto the near death experiences...

It all started on a torturous field trip to Metropolitan Museum of Art, to look at Greek and Roman artifacts.

Our tour guide was Mr. Brunner, a thinning, scruffy bearded, frayed tweed jacket wearing, coffee-smelling, motorized wheelchair driving, middle-aged man. He also happened to be our Latin teacher.

He led us through the Greek and Roman exhibits. There was black-and-orange pottery that supposedly survived two to three thousand years. I suppose it was cool, if you enjoyed that type of thing.

I wasn't paying much attention, so I wasn't sure what happened, when I heard, "Will you shut up?" being echoed loudly in the museum. Everyone laughed, besides Mr. Brunner. It was Percy and I was sure that he wasn't talking to Mr. Brunner because he was the only teacher who Percy respected.

"Mr. Jackson, did you have a comment?" Mr. Brunner asked.

"No, sir," Percy replied. I looked over to see that Percy's face was bright red. I saw Nancy Bobofit and two out of three of her lackeys, Lindsey Stone, and Julia Costello, standing next to him, giggling. Probably over something stupid, I bet.

"Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?" Mr. Brunner said, motioning to a stele.

"That's Kronos eating his kids, right?" Percy responded.

I tried to pay attention, but in my defense, it was kind of hard because my pre-algebra teacher was suddenly at my side, grabbing my arm roughly. Her fingers were digging into my arm, which was way to sharp to be considered normal.

Her name was Mrs. Dodds and she had this annoying habit of calling everyone honey. I have no clue who, in their right mind, would marry her. I don't recall seeing any pictures of her husband, although I'm sure that Mrs. Dodds killed him. She was from Georgia and she always wore this leather jacket, despite being ancient. All right, she was fifty and she was mean as hell. Once she made Percy erase answers out of text books and I once had to copy down an entire dictionary in composition notebooks. Sometimes composition notebooks haunt my nightmares. She showed up halfway through the year when our previous math teacher had a nervous breakdown.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound nice, in case she gives me detention and has me write the entirety of _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ in composition notebooks, or make me clean the chalkboard erasers.

"Let's go, honey," Mrs. Dodds said, tugging on me, as if trying to get me to leave the group.

"Why?" I asked, but Mrs. Dodds pulled on my arm. "Let. Go," I hissed, trying to tug my arm back.

Mrs. Dodds's hand tightened its hold on my arm, like she had a steal grip. I can feel her nails digging into my arm.

"Now, honey," Mrs. Dodds hissed back, trying to pull me back again.

"Stop it!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the chamber. It seemed like all eyes were now on me. However, Mrs. Dodds was standing right by Mr. Brunner, giving me the evil-eye. I looked down, trying to blink the embarrassment tears out of my eyes. I was sure I was as red as Percy was.

I looked back up to see that Mr. Brunner looked like he was going to say something. Mrs. Dodds was still death-glaring me. It was impossible that Mrs. Dodds was now standing over there by Mr. Brunner, as if she hadn't tried to kidnap me. She couldn't have moved that fast.

"It's time for lunch," Mr. Brunner said. "Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"

We started walking away, when I heard, "Percy and Aria Jackson…"

At that, my heart started beating rapidly, and I got the feeling like I was going to throw up. My face was starting to burn and I just knew that he was going to say something about my behavior. I didn't want to talk about it, not when I seemed to be hallucinating. I did the most screwed up thing by running, shouting, "Emergency!" while at it. I ran straight to the nearest restroom and hid in the closest stall. I leaned against the door and tried to take some deep breaths to calm down.

I wasn't entirely sure what Mrs. Dodds wanted and why she tried to drag me away from the tour group. I didn't even know how Mrs. Dodds even ended up standing beside Mr. Brunner when she was next to me.

It's just what my mother needed, a daughter that hallucinates on to top of having ADHD and dyslexia.

I left the stall and went to the sink. I pulled my sleeves up on my long-sleeved shirt and noticed three dark red indents on my arm, like talon marks.

 _What the hell?_ I thought, looking at the indents. Mrs. Dodds must've made them when she was trying to kidnap me. I splashed water on my face, trying to refresh myself. I felt a lot better after that. I was drying my face off with a paper towel when the door to the restroom opened.

"Well, there you are," said a false sweet voice.

I rolled my eyes. It was Emily Lancaster, Nancy Bobofit's third lackey and second-in-command.

"What do you want, Lawson?" I purposely called her by the wrong last name, because I wanted to show her how insignificant she was too. Yeah, I was being petty.

I'll admit it. I used to be in Nancy's inner circle of friends. It lasted for three months. The reason why they kicked me out?

I saw Emily's 'boyfriend', Derek, an eighth grader, kissing some girl. I told Emily about her 'boyfriend' cheating on her. As a thank you, I ended up getting lunch dumped on me by Emily and Nancy. Emily claimed that I was just trying to break her and Derek up and still thinks that, despite me repeatedly claiming that I never liked Derek.

To be honest, I don't think Emily and Derek were in a relationship, because I never saw them together. Nancy took Emily's side because they've known each other longer. In return, Nancy bullied Percy, which extended to Percy's best friend Grover, while Emily bullied me.

"I saw your little freak out earlier," Emily continued in that false sweet voice. One thing about Emily is that she's a compulsive liar, which ended up creating the whole Derek Incident. She dropped the false sweet tone, "You just can't handle it when the attention is off of you, can't you?"

"I don't care if I'm not the center of attention, Emma," I snapped. I purposely called her the wrong name, just to show how insignificant she is to me.

"You're a dirty liar," Emily snarled back. She stomped up to me, causing me to back up into the wall. She was taller than me by two inches. I, personally, think that she had gotten held back a grade. "We both know that you and your brother stupid just want to be the center of attention. We both know that's why you both 'act out'."

I balled my hands into fists and glared up at Emily. I sort of blacked out at my brother being insulted. Emily's scream of surprise was what brought me back. I saw that Emily was soaked from water from the sink. The pipe was broken and I didn't stick around, because I ran outside to where the others were eating lunch.

I stopped and started to try to get my breathing back under control. I wanted to act like nothing happened. I spotted Percy standing on the fountain, waving me over to him.

We both had black hair and sea-foam green eyes.

I walked over, trying to avoid Mr. Brunner who sat at the base of the handicap ramp. He was eating celery and reading a book. He had a red umbrella out, giving him the impression that it was a motorized café table. I didn't want to run into him and have him give me some belated lecture.

I was trying to act like nothing happened, and sat next to Percy on the fountain. He was sitting with Grover, who also happened to be Percy's roommate.

I wasn't close with my roommate, Kate, because we butted heads so many times over the state of our dorm. I wanted everything to be neat and orderly, because I'm such a neat-freak, but she happened to be the runner up to the first place trophy of slobbiness, (is that even a word? Percy says it isn't,) after my step-dad, Gabe.

Kate let me clean up her side of the dorm, but it's like I turn my back on her for a second, only to find her side a mess again. I do love cleaning, but that's going too far. I think Kate did it because my fidgeting distracts her and cleaning helps distracts me, aside from my cross-stitching.

I exhaled blowing a strand of hair from my face and looked up at the sky. The sky was blacker than I had ever seen and it looked like a storm was brewing. The weather seemed troubled because one day we had massive snow storms and the next, we had floods. I held out my hand to Percy, "Lunch me." He slapped a sandwich in my hand. "Thanks. What did Mr. Brunner want?"

"To tell us that what we learn is vitally important to us and that he expects the best out of us," Percy said.

I groaned through a mouthful of peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Of course he does." It's nice that Mr. Brunner wanted us to do better and that he pushes us to do our best. It's nice of him not to write Percy and me off as lost causes because of our ADHD and dyslexia, like our previous teachers did. However, it's frustrating at times because it seems like we can't keep up, especially we keep getting sidetracked and miss important facts. It also frustrates me when I almost fail, because it feels like I'm disappointing and failing him.

"What was going on with you in the museum? Why did you yelled 'stop it?' Was Emily bothering you?" Percy asked, as he got up to look for Emily.

Brothers are strange people to have. It's like, one minute, you're arguing with them and the next they have you laughing. One minute, it seems like they throw you under the bus, and the next, they're ready to defend you even though they know that you can take care of yourself.

I sighed, "No, it wasn't Emily. It was Mrs. Dodds. I swear, it was like she was trying to kidnap me." Grover made a weird 'pfft' sound that caused me to look at him. I looked at Percy, "She scratched me, see?" I pushed my sleeve up but the scratches were gone. I looked at my arm.

"Maybe they faded," Percy said, shrugging. "You know how us Jackson seem to heal faster than usual."

"Yeah," I admitted. "Emily cornered me in the restroom. A sink pipe exploded and sprayed her with water." Grover made that weird throaty _blah-ha-ha_ sound, like he had phlegm in his throat. I looked at him sharply. "What is the matter with you?"

"It's funny," Grover said, his face reddening.

I sighed again, "Don't tell Mom, Percy."

That was our code when something happens during field trips. At our fifth-grade field trip, we went to the Saratoga battlefield; this Revolutionary War cannon went off and hit the school bus. Percy got in trouble. During that field trip, I got into an argument with a teacher in the restroom and the toilet erupted, doing some cool geyser effect. I don't know why I got in trouble for that. At our fourth-grade field trip, I somehow got in trouble for trying to steal sea shells from Marine World. I still don't know how the sea shells got into my backpack. Percy ended up sending our class into the shark pool because he somehow hit the wrong lever, causing the catwalk to disappear beneath our feet.

Nancy, Julia, and Lindsey walked up to us. Nancy was smirking and holding two half-eaten sandwiches, a crinkled chip bag, and a milk carton. I looked for Emily, who was talking to Mrs. Dodds. She was probably telling her about what happened in the restroom, or maybe it was an attempt to distract her from what Nancy was going to do.

"Oops," Nancy said trying to sound innocent as she dropped her lunch right into Grover's lap, as if he was a convenient trashcan. She smirked at us and then she looked at me. In a false sweet tone, she said, "I heard what you did to Emily in the restroom, Aria. If you didn't 'notice', she's over there telling Mrs. Dodds what happened. I know how much you love attention, so Mrs. Dodds will be here in a few minutes to give you just what you always wanted."

My mind went black and all I can hear was a roaring sound.

"Percy and Aria pushed me!" Nancy yelled from behind me. Percy and I turned to see that Nancy was sitting on her ass in the fountain.

I realized that I was strangling my half-eaten sandwich to death. I couldn't have pushed her because I was murdering my sandwich. But I did black out, so I could have done it, sat down, and proceeded to squeeze the life-force out of it.

Mrs. Dodds suddenly appeared right in front of us with Emily in tow. Emily was smirking and Mrs. Dodds told the both of them that she will get them new shirts from the gift shop. She turned to Percy and me, looking triumphant.

 _Do I want bluebells or forget-me-nots at my funeral?_ I wondered. You see, when Mrs. Dodds first came in, she automatically thought that Nancy was god's greatest gift on mankind, while Percy and me were the devil's worst gift on mankind, so she treated us as such.

"Wait!" Grover yelped, "It was me! I pushed her and rigged the sink!"

I was surprised because Mrs. Dodds scared Grover and here he was, taking the blame for us. Especially taking the fall for me, even though I couldn't exactly think of Grover as a friend. I thought of him as an acquaintance. Yes, I hung out with Grover more, since my friendship with Nancy ended, but I still couldn't think of him as a friend.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," Mrs. Dodds replied.

Grover said, "But—"

"You. Will. Stay. Here." Mrs Dodds ordered and I could've sworn I saw her eyes flash. But that was impossible, because eyes don't flash.

First Mrs. Dodds appearing to stand by Mr. Brunner when she was right beside me, then the exploding sink, then us supposedly pushing Nancy into the fountain, and now with the flashing eyes? I really need to get my brain checked out.

"It's okay, man," Percy reassured Grover, "Thanks for trying."

I nodded, "Yeah. It's not the first time we got in trouble and it's probably not going to be the last."

"Honeys, now," Mrs. Dobbs ordered.

I looked over at Nancy and Emily to see that were smirking victoriously. I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't right there in front of us. She was at the top of the stairs, gesturing for us to hurry up and follow her. How did she get there so fast?

We followed after Mrs. Dodds. Halfway up the stairs, I happened to look back at Grover.

I wasn't sure what his problem was, because we've been in trouble with Mrs. Dodds loads of times. It looked as if Percy and I were walking to our funeral.

"Hurry up, Aria," Percy said. "We don't want to keep her waiting, in case we anger her even more."

I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. Very eloquently, I said, "Uh…Where did—?"

"She's inside," Percy said. We followed Mrs. Dodds inside. She was at the end of the entrance halls. How was moving so fast?

I tried to rationalize it as my ADHD acting up. Part of my memory couldn't keep up, so it's like puzzle. One piece was missing, which left a hole in the picture. That's hole my mind works.

"She's going to make us buy them shirts from the gift shop, isn't she?" I asked.

"Better than detention," Percy replied.

"True, but I don't want to face the wrath of Gabe," I said. "I hope they have something that's on clearance." Our step-dad was big on 'saving money', he says it while he buys cigars and beer. He also says that while he gambles the money away in his poker games.

We finally caught up to Mrs. Dodds, who was in the Greek and Roman section. She was standing in front of a frieze of the Greek gods and making this weird growling sound. I heard that sound once. It was directed at me.

"You two honeys have been giving us problems," Mrs. Dodds said, not looking back at us.

I was pretty sure that Yancy Academy was trained to deal with troubled kids, so I wasn't sure how Percy and I were giving them problems.

I decided to play it safe by just agreeing with Mrs. Dodds.

"Yes, ma'am," Percy and I said in unison.

Mrs. Dodds tugged at the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you two really think that you would get away with it?"

Okay, so maybe I did push Nancy in the fountain and somehow broke the sink pipe. "I'll apologize to them, if that's what you're asking."

"We'll—we'll try harder, ma'am," Percy said at the same as I spoke.

I wasn't sure what Percy meant by that and looked at him. He remained impassive.

Thunder boomed, making the building shake. I grabbed Percy's arm, worried that the building will collapse in on us.

"We are not fools, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said.

I cringed at the use of my full name. I didn't know what she was talking about. I sure as hell didn't know what this whole 'we' business was about. I don't think she was talking about the school board.

"It was only a matter of time before we found you out. While we weren't expecting twins, it does make sense of things. Confess and you both shall suffer less pain," Mrs Dodds continued.

Confess to what? Spraying Emily with water from the restroom sink and pushing Nancy in the fountain? What makes sense? The fact that Percy and I share the same last name? Suffer less pain? What did she mean by that? Unless she found out about my underground cross-stitch store, but did that deserve the extreme punishment of pain? I needed to make money somehow.

"Well?" Mrs. Dodds prompted.

"Uh…" I eloquently started.

Percy started, "Ma'am, we don't—"

"Time's up," Mrs. Dodds hissed. Her eyes began to glow, her fingers stretched and turned into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings like the wings of a bat. She now had a mouthful of yellow fangs.

 _I knew she was a monster,_ I thought as I backed into a wall. Okay, I really didn't think that she was a monster-monster, just a terrible person-monster.

Mrs. Dodds flew straight at me, her talons bared, and snarling, "Die, honey."

I heroically screamed and I bravely fell to my knees, right as Mrs. Dodds hit the wall, talons-first. I didn't fall fast enough, because I felt a talon graze my cheek and it exploded with pain and blood. I knew it was blood because it dribbled down. I grabbed my cheek in pain.

"Hey, Ugly! Don't touch my sister!" Percy shouted and I damned him to hell because Mrs. Dodds dislodged herself, before flying straight towards him.

It could've been the pain talking, but I saw him swing a bronze sword right at Mrs. Dodds, slicing her in half. There was a loud screech and the smell of sulfur. There was a yellow powder on the ground and there was a chill in the air. Percy was now holding a ballpoint pen and we were alone.

"Aria, are you all right?" Percy asked, helping me to my feet.

My cheek still felt like it was on fire as I touched the cut, which didn't feel deep. "How bad is it?"

"It's not _that_ bad," Percy said. "You'll probably end up with cool looking scar."

"Do you think it'll make me look tough?" I asked.

"Yeah, a real street fighter," Percy said.

I think he was joking. "Do I need a band-aid?"

"I don't think so," Percy said. We quickly left the museum.

It was raining. I held out my arms, closed my eyes, and lifted my face to the sky. The rain instantly made me feel better. I had always loved the rain.

"What was _that_?" Percy asked me.

"I…have no idea," I responded and the memory slammed down on me.

Grover was sitting by the fountain. He was now holding a museum map over his head. Nancy and Emily were standing by the fountain.

"I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your asses!" Nancy shouted and looked straight at me. "At least she got to you, Aria!"

 _Did…did I hear correctly?_ I thought, _did she just say Mrs. Kerr?_ I looked at Percy.

Percy looked confused, "Who?" He sounded just as confused as I felt.

"Our teacher, duh!" Nancy said as if Percy was stupid.

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused. At least my cheek wasn't burning anymore. "Who's Mrs. Kerr?"

"I always knew that there was something wrong with you two," Nancy said, wandering off with her friends. They were laughing, probably about how dumb Percy and I were. Or maybe they were joking and laughing about how they got us good.

Percy and I went over to Grover. Percy asked, "Where's Mrs. Dodds?"

Grover didn't even look at us as he said, "Who?"

"That's not funny!" I replied shrilly. Why were they acting like Mrs. Dodds didn't exist? Why did Grover end up helping Nancy with this stupid little prank?

"Yeah, this is serious," Percy said.

Thunder boomed overhead and I saw Mr. Brunner who was still sitting under the red umbrella. "Let's go ask Mr. Brunner. Maybe he might tell us."

We walked over to him, making him look up. For a few seconds, it looked like he was distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensils in the future, Jacksons." Percy handed Mr. Brunner his pen, but Mr. Brunner was looking at me. "I should also add that you two aren't supposed to be rough-housing inside the museum. You two are lucky that you didn't break something or get banned or fined."

I thought, _rough-housing?_ I looked at Percy confused.

"Sir, where's Mrs. Dodds?" Percy asked.

"Who?" Mr. Brunner asked looking at us in an almost blank manner.

"Our pre-algebra teacher, Mrs. Dodds," I told him.

"The other chaperone," Percy said, as if that would help Mr. Brunner remember.

He frowned at us and sat forward, looking concerned. "Percy, Aria, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you two feeling all right?"

I nodded, even though I didn't feel all right. All I know was that something wrong was going on, but I didn't know what it was. Maybe it was some school-wide prank where Percy and I were the poor unfortunate fools were the targets. Maybe it was supposed to be a late or early April Fool's Day joke. Maybe when we got on the bus, everyone would yell, "You go punk'd!" at us. Yes, that would be great, but how would that explain Mrs. Dodds turning into a monster?

Percy and I got on the bus and sat down at the very back, then a smiling blonde woman that I never even seen before walking on the bus.

Unfortunately no one turned to yell, "You got punk'd!" at us. I stared out the window the rest of the way back to Yancy Academy.

The good and bad news was that the scratch on my cheek had disappeared. On one hand, at least I don't have a scar that I have to explain away to Mom, and on the other hand, I didn't have proof that my math teacher had turned into a monster and attacked my brother and me. On a third hand that I don't have, at least I had Percy who seemed to be just as confused as I was.

I didn't know it at the time, but change was upon us, like a tidal wave.

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A/N: I was looking for names to use and decided on Ariadne, because she seemed to have a happy ending, like how Sally named Percy, because Perseus is the only Greek hero to have a happy ending.

Although, in one myth, Ariadne killed herself and Dinoysus went to the Underworld to bring her back to life and made her an immortal or a goddess. In a different one, Dinoysus told Thesus to ditch Ariadne because Dinoysus fell in love with her, so Thesus had no choice but to leave her behind, because it was orders from a god. I think she was killed by Perseus or Artemis, but either way, Ariadne was brought back from the Underworld and either became an immortal or a goddess, due to her help in the Labyrinth and weaving.

Well, in this book series, Dinosyus healed Ariadne's broken heart and they got married, and she's either an immortal or goddess, so she still gets to have a happy ending.

I also had the idea of Percy having a twin sister a while back, but I never wrote it out. So, when I read _From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea_ by January Lily, I decided to write my idea out, because I was inspired by it. If you hadn't read it, I highly recommend that you do read it.


	2. Three Old Ladies Knitting Socks

A/N: Many thanks to the few who had reviewed, followed, and favorite this fic. It really means a lot to me, so thank you.

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Chapter 2: **Three Old Ladies Knitting Socks Gives a Threat On My Life**

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Throughout the rest of the school year, the rest of the school continued to pretend that Mrs. Dodds didn't even exist. At least one half of me wanted it to be a prank, but the other half of me knew that it wasn't a prank. I wasn't sure what to make of it, because Percy and I both knew that Mrs. Dodds existed. We went over the details countless times.

I wasn't entirely sure what to think about Mrs. Dodds. It could've been a shared hallucination between us, but I couldn't be sure. The only consolation was that Percy told me that Grover always hesitates when Percy brings up Mrs. Dodds. I tried to slip in a few references to Kate, but she requested a room change after the sixth time I brought up Mrs. Dodds.

It was probably for the best. I was tired of cleaning up her side of the dorm and I don't think my constant nightmares weren't helping her sleep either. It was fine, really. I needed some peace and quiet when I concentrated on my cross stitching.

I was beginning to get cranky and irritable, which could've been due to the lack of sleep. When my history teacher asked me why I stopped trying in her class, I called her a hag. My grades slipped from Cs to Fs, because I spent most of the class time trying hard not to fall asleep and actually falling asleep. I ended up using my text books as pillows when I tried to do homework. To make matters worse, Emily tried picking more fights with me than usual, because she thinks that I'm making up Mrs. Dodds and faking being irritated and cranky to get attention. I tried not to fight back with her, but she started wearing on my last nerve, so I started fighting back. Nancy had taken to fighting with Percy as well, which made teachers send him out in the hallway.

I was sure all that was the reason why the headmaster sent my mom two letters home, saying that Percy and I weren't invited back next year. It was the nicest way of saying that we got expelled.

It was fine because I was beginning to get homesick. I regretted acting out because our mother had paid money that we didn't have to send us here. I didn't know why I couldn't toe the line and just put up with all the crap that life started throwing at me.

The one thing that I was dreading was putting up with Gabe Ugliano, our step-father. Percy called him Smelly Gabe, because he smelt really bad, like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in sweaty gym shorts, old cigars, and stale beer, but I called him Ugly Gabe. I was thankful that my mother kept her maiden name, Jackson, because I wasn't sure what I would've been put through if I was named Ariadne Ugliano. I know for sure that I would've been bullied some more by Emily and Nancy. Ugh. Anyway, Ugly Gabe has poker parties and treats me like a maid, because he has me grab his beers, clean his 'study' which doubles as Percy's bedroom when we're home, organize his office files because he's a manager of Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, and all that stuff.

One thing that I would miss the most about Yancy Academy was gym. I will miss playing dodgeball. At least I can throw spongy balls at Nancy and Emily without getting in trouble. Or, take out my frustration on the other students for not believing that Mrs. Dodds existed, without getting sent to the counselor's office for having anger problems. Dodgeball happened to be on my top-three list of favorite gym subjects, the second was basketball and the third was soccer.

As exam week got closer the more I started getting antsy. I needed to study but what was the point? I knew that I couldn't sit still long enough and the words would just swim off the pages like they always do. The only myths I knew was: the story of Ariadne, my namesake, Zeus, the god of lightning, Hades, the god of the underworld, and Poseidon, the god of oceans. I asked Percy if I could organize his stuff for him, but he refused, and decided that we were going to have a study session. He told me that it was for Mom's and Mr. Brunner's sake, so we gathered our things and went to the library to study.

We chose a table that was the farthest away, because I didn't want to be judged for failing at something that was easy to do. Yeah, I can sit and cross stitch for hours, but sitting and trying to study was hard?

We opened our _Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology_ books. I stared at the page to see the letters swimming on the page and getting mixed up like alphabet soup. I closed my book and slid it to Percy. "Quiz me," I told him, even though I just stared at the book like it I saw a picture of Chuck Norris wearing a lemon coustume.

"Uh…" Percy started, squinting at his book. "All right…let's see…Chiron?"

I blanked on the name and I looked around the library. Maybe something will jog my memory. "Um…it's starts with a C or was it an S? Cyclops, I think." I wanted to face-palm at what I said.

Percy shook his head, "What about Charon?"

"Hell if I know," I said, feeling stupid. "He's dead, that's all I know."

Percy squinted at his book, "I think that's half-right. There's something here about Hades."

 _Hades_? _Oh, that's right!_ "He's brings people across the river," I said, smiling. "Boo-yeah, I'm going to ace this exam."

"What about Polydictes?" Percy asked, smirking.

I knew he was testing me. I suddenly stopped smiling and shook my head, "Never mind. I'm going to fail this exam. I'm going to fail it so hard, it's going to be hilarious." I put my forehead on the table and groaned. "Smelly Gabe is right. I'm a failure. I'm going nowhere in my life. I can just picture myself now. A high-school drop-out cleaning houses." I looked up to see if Percy was smiling over me pretending to be over-dramatic. I could see that he was trying not to smile.

"Don't forget that maid outfit, since Smelly Gabe treats you like one. Might as well go the extra-mile." Percy said, rolling his eyes, and looked back at his book.

I rested my chin on the table, blowing a few strands of hair out of my face. "We should just go to Mr. Brunner and apologize for the big fat F that we're going to end up getting."

Percy looked like he just got an idea, which was a scary thought. "That's it. We could ask Mr. Brunner for help. He did say that he'll help us if we asked for it."

"Yeah, but it shows that we didn't bother studying till now," I pointed out, "But since he's our only option…" We gathered our things before leaving the library to head to the faculty offices.

Percy bumped his shoulder into my mine, nearly making me fall to the ground. He grinned, "Don't fall."

I turned around and hit him with my messenger bag. "Don't get hit," I replied back, before running off. The flap on my messenger bag was cross stitched. There were two jack-o-lanterns in front of a walkway to a haunted house. There were two bare trees on either side of the haunted house. There were three small bats flying in front of the full moon that was above the haunted house. I was so proud of my handiwork because it took months to make. The look on people's faces when I tell them that I made it instead of buying it was priceless.

I got to the office door which was slightly open.

"I'm really worried about Percy and Aria, sir," Grover said.

Percy had walked up and I looked at him. I wasn't sure what was worse: hearing you brother's best friend talking about you and your brother to a teacher or having your so-called "friends" trash-talk you behind your back and to your face.

Percy inched closer to the door and I followed his lead. I was sickened yet curious on what Grover and Mr. Brunner had to say about us.

"…They'll be alone this summer," Grover said. "I mean, a Kindly One in the _school_! Now that we know for sure, and _they_ know too—"

I wasn't sure what a Kindly One was, but it made me shiver. I looked at Percy, but he seemed just as confused as I felt. We weren't going to be alone because Percy and I had each other, along with Gabe being a constant nuisance with his poker games, cigars, and beer.

"We would make matters worse by rushing them. I think Aria is suspecting it, but she still has quite a way to deducing it. Percy…we need him to mature more," Mr. Brunner replied.

That was hurtful. Percy could be mature, if he wanted to. I looked at him to see that he looked kind of upset that his favorite teacher called him immature.

"But they may not have time," Grover replied, "the summer solstice deadline—"

"Will have to be resolved without them," Mr. Brunner interrupted. "Let them enjoy their ignorance while they still can."

"Sir, _they_ saw her…" Grover countered

"Their imaginations—a shared hallucination between them through their twin bond," Mr. Brunner said. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince them of that."

"Sir, I…I can't fail in my duties again," Grover said with a choked tone of voice. "You know what that would mean."

 _What duties does Grover have? And what did he fail in?_ I wondered and hoped to hear more of that.

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said, using a kind voice. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy and Aria alive until next fall—"

 _THUMP_

I jumped and saw that Percy's book had slipped out of his hand. He picked up the book, grabbed my arm, and backed down the hall, taking me with him.

My heart was beating rapidly as Percy opened the nearest office door and he pushed me inside. He closed the door just in time because there was a _clop-clop-clop_ sound. It sounded like there was a horse walking down the hall. A large, dark shape stopped in front of the small glass window that was in the door. I crouched down, biting the inside of my wrist to keep from freaking out. _Why am I'm losing my sanity?_ I wondered.

"Nothing," Mr. Brunner said. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."

"Mine neither," Grover replied, "But I could have sworn…"

"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner said. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."

"Don't remind me," Grover said and I felt the same.

The light turned off and we waited for the sound of them leaving.

My heart was still beating rapidly as I continued biting my wrist. Percy smacked my wrist away, but that hadn't stopped my teeth from biting through the skin. I knew that it was a disgusting habit that I picked up from somewhere. It never left any scars.

Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about us and they claimed that we hallucinated about Mrs. Dodds, but it seemed like they knew something about what happened that day. They thought that we were in some kind of danger. None of this made sense, yet Mr. Brunner told Grover that I was beginning to suspect something.

We left the classroom and made our way out of the office building in silence.

"That was…" I started to say.

"Something?" offered Percy.

"Yeah," I replied. We stood outside the office building. "Did you see that?"

"Did you _hear_ that?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," I said, nodding.

"I did," Percy said. "Why does he have a horse in the school?"

"Where does one stash a horse?" I asked, scratching my head.

Percy shrugged, "None of this makes sense."

"I know," I replied. After a minute of silence, I said, "Well…good night."

"Yeah, you too," Percy replied.

With that, we went our separate ways. When I got back to the my empty dorm room and laid down on my bed to stare at the ceiling, I didn't need to be a genius to figure the answer to this question:

Percy and Aria Jackson? Really dead.

* * *

The next morning, I had to drag my sorry ass out of bed to get ready for my exams. I skimmed through all of my text books, although everything looked like alphabet soup to my eyes.

I had to take a three-hour Latin exam, right after breakfast. I already knew that my answers were going to be riddled with butchered spellings of names, but I just wanted to get it over with already. I tried to remember the correct spellings, so I don't accidentally murder Mr. Brunner's eyes when he looked at my test.

So, there I was in Latin class, looking over my exam. I was trying to tell myself not to rush it, so I can leave a good impression on Mr. Brunner, that at least I tried on the exam.

After someone handed in their test, I went to hand mine in, when Mr. Brunner stopped me.

I was instantly worried that Mr. Brunner caught me eavesdropping in his private conversation. He was probably going to have me fill an entire composition notebook with the sentence, "I must not eavesdrop" or something.

"Aria," Mr. Brunner said, using a kind tone. "It's…it's probably for the best that you're leaving Yancy."

That's kind of rude. My face warmed up and I felt the embarrassment tears coming. Was I that much of a trouble-maker that the faculty would be glad to get rid of me? It was worse coming from a teacher that sort of happened to be your favorite.

"Okay," I mumbled.

"It was only a matter of time…This isn't the right place for you," Mr. Brunner said. It seemed like he was trying to figure out to word what he wanted to say.

I was already trembling, "Right,"

"No, no," replied Mr. Brunner, looking like he was fumbling for answers, the same way I fumbled the clothes in the dryer, trying to find my clothes. "What I'm trying to say is…you're not normal, Aria…" He made a face like he realized he made a mistake.

I was almost in tears, but I walked out of the classroom, not wanting Mr. Brunner to remember me as the girl who ran out of class crying. I wanted to leave a lasting impression on him.

I went to my dorm room and threw myself on my bed, and cried.

I cried because: I got expelled from school again, I had to go back to Ugly Gabe's apartment for the summer, I didn't have any friends, because I failed my mother on not even lasting an entire school year, I was a freak, and my mental state was in ruins.

I cried myself to sleep, which is embarrassing thinking back on it.

* * *

On the last day of the term, I was walking up to my dorm when a group of girls stopped me on my way there.

"Aria, what are you doing over the summer?" a dark-skinned girl asked. I think her name was Leslie. "Savannah, here, is going to London. Miranda is going to visit her family in Russia. I'm going to Paris to explore the catacombs. Where are you going?" she sounded genuinely interested in what I had planned.

"Oh, I'm going back to the city. I'll probably get a summer job doing car-washes again or maybe sell some of my cross stitch patterns, or maybe help my brother sell magazine subscriptions. Also figure out where my mom is going to send Percy and me in the fall."

They stared at me like I was the most boring person they've regretted having a conversation with. I probably was the most boring person at that point, but that was before anything interesting actually happened.

"Oh, cool," said Leslie, not sounding interested this time.

"Well, I hope you all have fun." I said and they went back to the conversation that they were having, as if they didn't include me in their conversation.

I went back to my dorm room to start packing up my stuff. I folded my clothes, putting them from light to dark. After I finished packing, I sat on my bed and tried to think who I should say goodbye too. I couldn't think of anyone.

* * *

Percy and I stood at the bus stop. My messenger bag was on my right shoulder and my backpack was on my left shoulder. My suitcase was at my feet and I was sure that I looked like a run-away junkie, with my jeans that were ripped at my knees, my black shirt hanging all baggy-like, my dark blue denim jacket that was a bit too big on me, and my hair all messy because I didn't want to spend more time in Yancy.

Percy had his backpack and suitcase at his feet.

"So…what do you plan on doing for the summer?" I asked, trying to be conversational, as I dug in my shoulder bag for my bus ticket. I already knew what Percy had planned, since it was the same every year.

"Oh, you know…sell magazine subscriptions," Percy replied. "Glare and argue with Smelly Gabe for the way he treats you and mom." It was the same reply every summer.

"Ah, yes, the maids of the apartment," I replied bitterly.

"What do you have planned?" Percy asked, pretending to not know what I had planned.

"You know…do car washes, sell my cross stitch patterns, and help you sell magazine subscriptions, Dear Brother," I replied.

"Ah, yes, the infamous Aria Jackson's Car Washes," Percy said. "How many guys do you plan on dousing with water this time, Sweet Sister?"

It really wasn't my fault that some men and a few sixteen and seventeen-year-olds boys tried to rip me off and talked to me like I'm stupid, or sneer at me and call me adorable, despite trying to make money. "Maybe eleven this time." The highest number of men that got doused was thirteen.

Grover walked up, with a backpack, suitcase, and he had a hat on.

"Grover, what are you doing here?" Percy asked.

"I booked a ticket to Manhattan with you guys," Grover said.

In a way, I felt agitated that he had to come with us, because I wanted to have some alone time with Percy, but Grover was Percy's best friend, so I tried not to let it show.

We boarded the bus when it showed up. I pulled out my half-finished cross stitch pattern, when was a beach during a storm.

As I was making the sand, I heard my brother say, "looking for Kindly Ones?" I turned to glare at him because Percy threw us under the bus by revealing that we eavesdropped.

"What—what do you mean?" Grover asked, sounding nervous.

"Aria and I eavesdropped on you and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam," Percy said.

I groaned, "Thanks for throwing me under the bus, Percy."

"You're welcome," Percy said with fake cheerfulness. He was grinning at me.

Grover's eye was twitching and he asked, "How much did you two hear?"

"Oh…not much," I said, putting the aida cloth, thread which is actually called floss, and the needle back in my messenger bag.

"What's the summer solstice deadline?" Percy asked.

Grover winced, "Look, Percy, Aria…I was just worried for you both, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers…"

Percy started, "Grover—"

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you two were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and…" Grover continued.

"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar," Percy accused.

Grover's ears turned pink and he reached in his shirt pocket. He took out two grubby looking business cards and handed them to me and Percy. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer of if you lose one."

I looked at my business card. It was written in fancy script, one of my mortal enemies, right next to cursive. It took a while for me to make out:

 **Grover Underwood  
Keeper**

The rest was indecipherable, but I made out a phone number.

 **(800) 009-0009**

Before I could ask what a Keeper was, Percy asked, "What's Half—"

"Don't say it aloud!" Grover interrupted. "That's my, um…summer address."

I wasn't exactly friends with the guy and I didn't know him as well as Percy, but I wasn't surprised to know that Grover had a summer home. I was surprised that I got invited to visit. I looked at Percy to see that he looked dejected.

"Okay," Percy said glumly. "So, like, if we want to come visit your mansion."

"Or…or if you need me," Grover said.

"Why would we need you?" Percy asked harshly and I kicked him in the shin.

"No need to be so harsh," I hissed at him.

"Coming from the Queen of Darkness," Percy replied.

Grover was blushing right down to his neck, "Look, the truth is, I—kind of have to protect you two."

I stared at him. Where was he at when I was getting bullied by Emily? I knew Percy picked fights with Nancy and other bullies because of Grover's muscular disease and Percy had lost sleep worrying over what will happen to Grover next year. Yet, here was Grover, acting like he was the one protecting _us_. I almost laughed at that.

"Grover, what exactly are you protecting us from?" Percy asked.

A weird grinding noise came from under my feet. Black smoke poured out from under the dashboard and the bus started to smell like rotten eggs, making me gag. I covered my nose with my hands as the driver pulled the Greyhound over to the side of the road. He got out and went to try and fix the bus.

"Grover, why are you supposed to protect us?" I asked and looked out the window. For what? Maple trees that would come to life and attack us? Litter that would suddenly sprout legs and attack our knees? That washing machine that sucks people in and kill them by using the rinse cycle?

The drive came back on the bus and over the intercom, said, "Sorry for the inconvenience, you have to get off the bus."

We filed out of the bus, and I noticed that four lanes of asphalt over was an old-fashioned fruit stand. I watched the asphalt shimmer with heat. In a way, I couldn't help but think that this was horror movies always start. With people stranded and out comes the monster all ' _hacky-slashy, death baby death. Blood!_ ' type of thing. I don't know why I was thinking that because it was daylight and there was like twenty other passengers with us.

Percy nudged me with his shoulder, "That's the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen."

I looked over to see where he was looking. There were three olds ladies in rocking chairs and knitting a huge pair of socks. The socks were the size of sweaters, but they were obviously socks. A lady in the middle held a gigantic basket of electric-blue yarn, while the other two on either side of her were knitting. They had wrinkly pale faces, their silver hair was tied back with white bandannas, and they wore bleached white dress.

The creepiest thing was that it seemed like they were looking at me or Percy.

"Tell me they're not looking at the both of you," Grover said.

I looked at him to see that his face was white and his nose was twitching. I looked at the old ladies again, "Um…"

"They are, aren't they?" Grover asked in a monotone.

Percy said, "Yeah, weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Not funny, Percy," Grover said, "Not funny at all."

To Percy, I said, "He's right, Perce. They're probably knitting those socks for King Kong."

Percy laughed, "It's probably for Godzilla or Sasquatch."

I couldn't help but giggle, although I was getting a little uneasy with the elderly woman staring at either me or Percy.

"That's not funny," Grover said, stomping his foot in frustration.

"What's the worse they can do to us? Throw tomatoes at us?" I asked. The lady in the middle took out a huge pair of long-bladed gold and silver scissors. "Or…maybe they can stab us with those."

I heard Grover inhale sharply, "We're getting on the bus. Come on."

"What?" I asked.

"Its a thousand degrees in there," Percy said.

I nodded, "Yeah, I don't want to be soup." I would rather take my chances with getting stabbed by those hedge clippers, because at least I had a chance of surviving getting stabbed than turning into soup. I was also getting a little annoyed with Grover, because he was acting as if three old ladies knitting socks for Donkey Kong was a life or death situation. Unless the one in the middle hauled ass over four lanes of traffic to stab us with those hedge-clipper sized scissors, then yeah, I could see Grover's point. Instead of running across four lanes of traffic, the lady in the middle cut the yarn and I could've sworn I heard the _snip_ from where I was standing.

At the rear of the bus, the drive pulled a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment.

 _How did that get there?_ I wondered and the bus started back up.

"Yeah!" shouted a man right behind me, causing me to nearly jump.

A few women clapped and driver slapped the bus with his hat, shouting, "Damn right! Everybody, get back on board."

We got back on the bus, and when I sat down, I started to feel cold and sick to my stomach, like I was running a fever.

Grover was shivering and his teeth were starting to chatter. Percy looked pale and I was sure that I looked the same, well, maybe paler than usual.

"Grover?" Percy and I asked at the same time.

Grover replied, "Yeah?"

"What are you not telling us?" Percy asked.

Grover wiped at his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, Aria, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

Percy and I looked at each other. Percy started, "You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like…Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

Grover looked guarded and I got the feeling that they were worse than Mrs. Dodds. Like, far worse. He said, "Just tell me what you both saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors and she cut the yarn," Percy said.

"Yeah, they were knitting very big socks," I said.

Grover closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers. It looked like a clawed hand over his heart. "Did you see both see her cut the cord?"

"Yeah," Percy and I said in unison.

"So?" Percy added.

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled and started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?" Percy asked.

I was curious, "Yeah, what happened last time?"

"Always sixth grade," Grover said as if he didn't hear our questions. "They never get passed sixth."

I got goose-bumps at that.

"Grover, what are you talking about?" Percy demanded.

"Let me walk you two home from the bus station. Promise me," Grover said.

I couldn't help but think that was a strange request, because Percy and I were fine together. I was also a little annoyed at how Grover seemed dead-set on Percy and I not having any family time together.

"Sure," I said slowly.

"I promise," Percy replied. "Is this like a superstition or something?"

Grover didn't respond to that.

"You're acting like someone's going to die," I said.

Grover was looking at us, as if he was picturing our funerals. I wanted to tell him that I wanted bluebells or forget-me-nots for my casket, but I was sure that would've made things worse.


	3. My Brother's Best Friend is Part Goat

Chapter 3: **My Brother's Best Friend is Part Goat**

* * *

Throughout the entire bus ride, Grover kept looking at Percy and me, and repeatedly muttered, "Why does this happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"

It was actually kind of annoying me and I wanted to tell him to shut up, but I really couldn't. I knew that I was going to upset Grover, if I did. and I didn't want us to get kicked off the bus for picking a fight with Grover. I guess despite my claims that I'm cold-hearted; I'm actually warm-hearted, well deep down in the glacier that I call my heart. Also I didn't want to wait for another bus, because all I wanted was to go home and be with my mom.

When we got off the bus, Grover said to us, "Promise me that you both will wait for me."

"Promise," Percy and I said at the same time.

Grover ran straight for the restrooms and I considered grabbing a bus route map to look at, when Percy nudged me and said, "Let's go, before he gets out."

"What?" I asked confused. Did he just imply that he wanted us to ditch Grover?

"Isn't he freaking you out as well?" Percy asked.

"A little," I answered, being honest, "And he's kind of annoying me, too."

"Let's go," Percy said, grabbing my arm and leading me to the doors of the station.

"But we promised him," I pointed out. It kind of bothered me that he was breaking a promise; even if Grover was being annoying. A promise was a promise after all, and I don't make promises that I know I can't keep. I never broke promises.

"Do you want to put up with him looking at us like we're going to die and him repeatedly saying, 'why it always happens' and 'why it's always sixth grade?'" Percy asked in a pointed manner.

Admittedly, I was sure that I was going to snap at Grover if he kept that up, even if it was for a few more minutes, but I didn't want to break a promise.

Percy grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the station.

Since I was dragged out of the station, it really shouldn't count as breaking a promise, right? I didn't say no, so that should mean I broke a promise. But I didn't do it of my own free-will considering Percy dragged me out. Deep down, I was sure that I broke a promise for the first time. There was a saying that went, "there's a first time for anything," after all.

Percy flagged down the first taxi that went uptown and give the driver directions.

I couldn't wait to get home and see our mother. My knee was bouncing up and down and I was sure that it was starting to get on the taxi driver's nerves.

Our mother is a very good person, but she had crappy luck. Her parents died in a plane crash when she was five and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care for her. She wanted to be a novelist and spent her entire high school life working to save money to get in a writing program. In her senior year, her uncle got cancer, so she dropped out of school to care for him. Her uncle died, leaving her penniless and no high school diploma.

She says that the greatest thing that happened to her was when she meet Percy's and my dad. However, they weren't married when she ended up pregnant with Percy and me. Our dad got lost when he went out to sea and never returned. Our mom emphasized the 'lost' part of my dad's sea voyage, but personally I believe he is dead, although I want to believe my mom when she says that he's lost at sea…for twelve years.

Percy and I don't recall memories of meeting him, but we both remember this really weird warm glow, like it had a smile. Our mom never talks about him because it upsets her and she, sadly, doesn't have pictures of him.

Anyway, our mom worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised us on her own. She never complained or got mad at us, even when Percy and I weren't making it easy for her. I tried to be good and not cause any problems, but something always came along and made me act out. The thing that made me act out happened to be my step-father, Gabe.

My mom married Gabe, who was nice for at least thirty seconds, but revealed himself to be a world-class ass.

Percy hated Smelly Gabe because of the way Ugly Gabe treated me and my mom like we're maids to him. I don't know how my mom puts with it, but I, sadly, didn't have that calm demeanor, even though I tried, even though I snapped back at Gabe at times. Percy and Gabe always butted heads, especially over the way Gabe treats us, so the three of us ended up making my mom's life hard.

* * *

Percy and I walked in our little apartment. I was hoping that our mom was home from work, but sadly, Smelly Gabe was there, hosting one of his poker parties as usual. The TV was on ESPN, there were chips and beer cans strewn on the carpet, and there was the smell of cigars in the air which made me want to open a window before I gagged. I could've sworn that the sight was giving me hives at seeing how messy it was.

"Where's our mom?" Percy demanded.

"Working," Gabe replied in an off-hand manner. "You both got any cash?"

I could see that Gabe had put on some weight, which resulted in making him resemble a tusk-less walrus in thrift-store clothes. He was bald except for three hairs that he combed over in a failed attempt to look handsome.

"We don't have any money," I lied. I want to hold onto the rest of my cash, so I can at least buy my mom some ice cream as an apology for getting expelled…again. However, Gabe always knew that we had money. When Percy and I got home, he demanded us to help him with his gambling funds. He called that our " _special_ secret." That meant, if we told Mom, there was going to be hell to pay, which meant we're going to be dead meat.

Gabe raised a bushy eyebrow, "You both took a taxi from the bus station; probably paid with forty for you both. Probably got twelve-fourteen bucks in change. Someone who expects to live under this roof ought to carry their own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie was the super of the apartment, and he looked at us with, what I think was, sympathy. "The kids just got here."

"Am I _right_?" Gabe repeated. He hated it when someone didn't take his side, so I usually refused to take his side just to anger him.

Eddie scowled at his bowl of pretzels while the other two guys, whose names I forgot, farted in two-part harmony.

"Fine," Percy said, pulling out a wad of bills and tossing it onto the table. "We hope you lose." He stomped off and I moved to follow him, but Gabe giving me a nasty glare, causing me to stop in my tracks.

I took out my money from my shoulder bag before throwing it on the table. "I want you to lose."

"Your report cards came, brainiacs! I wouldn't act so snooty!" Gabe called after me as I went to Percy's room. Percy slammed the door shut and I made fists, fighting the urge to kick Gabe in the ribs.

I sleep on the couch in the living room. Percy and mom insisted on me having the bedroom, but I refused. So, with little, okay, a lot of complaint, I got my wish of sleeping in the living room.

During school months, Percy's room was Gabe's "study." The only thing that Gabe ever studied was old car magazines.

Gabe always shoved our things in the closet, left his muddy boots on the window sill, and tried his hardest to make the room smell like his nasty cologne, cigars, and stale beer. I tried my hardest to de-Gabe the room as much as possible, which angers him even more, so I do it on purpose. We dropped our suitcases on the bed and I got to work hanging up our clothes, from light to dark. Sometimes I like to mix it up and try to make some sort of pattern with the clothes.

Percy sat on the bed, because he learned the hard way not to help me clean. He looked as miserable as I felt.

"Percy? Aria?" our mother called.

I dropped the shirt I was holding, feeling very happy at hearing our mother's voice. I turned around as the door opened. Her eyes were sparkling and she had a few gray streaks in her brown hair. I ran over, nearly shoving Percy down in my haste to hug her.

"Oh, Percy, Aria," she said, "I can't believe it. You both have grown since Christmas!"

My mom's red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelt like a sweets shop, which was what heaven probably smelt like. She worked at a candy shop in Grand Central and she always brought home a huge bag of 'free samples' when we came home for summer.

Percy and I sat on the edge of bed with our mom in the middle, as we dug in the bag of candy. Percy took the blueberry sour strings, while I ate the blue raspberry Airheads.

She ran her hands through mine and Percy's hair while she asked to know everything, like what we hadn't put in our letters. She didn't mention anything about us getting expelled, but she asked if we were okay, were her babies doing all right?

"Mom, you're smothering me," Percy said with a laugh as Mom held him close to her.

"I don't care," I replied, snuggling up to Mom as I took a bite out of the blue raspberry Airhead.

"Hey, Sally, Aria—how about some bean dip, huh?" Gabe called from the living room.

I almost sighed and I noticed Percy grit his teeth. To distract Mom, in an excited voice, I said, "We played dodge ball on the last day of school!"

Percy laughed and waved a sour string at me as he spoke to Mom, "You should've seen Aria. She was way too excited for that. It's like she turns into some whole other person."

I scoffed, "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," Percy countered. "You laughed when you eliminated people." He turned to Mom. "It go to the point that she was scaring the other kids and the teacher had her sit out because of it."

I lightly kicked at Percy's shin, "So maybe I get a little too competitive, who cares. But at least we lasted almost the whole year this time. That's good, right?"

"Yeah," Percy replied, "we're not to upset about the expulsion. We made some friends. I've done well in Latin. The fights weren't _that_ bad like the headmaster claimed."

I nodded and said, "I really liked Yancy Academy. I really did." I crammed the rest of the Airhead in my mouth and looked in the bag for some more while Percy put a good spin on Yancy. He sounded choked up when he talked about Grover and Mr. Brunner. He talked about Nancy Bobofit and Emily Lancaster, and he mentioned the field trip to the museum when he abruptly cut himself off.

"What?" Mom asked as she looked at Percy. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom," Percy replied.

Mom shifted and I looked up as I found some blue Jolly Ranchers. She seemed to study my face. "Do you know what happened? Did something happen to you and your brother?"

I wanted to tell her all about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies. I didn't want to lie to her. I didn't want to bring her down, especially when we just got back home. "No," I said.

She pursed her lips, like she knew that we were holding something back, but she didn't push us. "I have a surprise for both of you."

"What is it?" I asked, popping a blue caramel ball in my mouth.

"We're going to the beach," Mom announced and I choked on the caramel ball in shock.

"Montauk?" Percy asked for the both of us.

"Three nights—same cabin," Mom said.

I finally got my breath back and asked, "When?" at the same time as Percy.

Mom smiled, "As soon as I get changed."

I couldn't believe it. We hadn't been to Montauk since Percy and I were ten. Gabe claimed that there wasn't enough money for us to go.

Gabe walked in the doorway, "Bean dip, Sally, Aria? Did you two hear me?"

I wanted to drop kick him. Mom looked at Percy and me. I knew what she meant. We just had to get along with Gabe for just a little while, until Mom was ready to leave for Montauk.

"I was on my way, honey," Mom said to Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

"The trip?" Gabe repeated, his eyes small. "You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," Percy muttered, "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," Mom replied. "Your step-father is just worried about money, that's all. Besides, Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip, I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole week; guacamole, sour cream, the works."

I wanted to say that he wouldn't worry about money if he didn't waste it on his stupid poker games, cigars, and beer, but I didn't. If I said that, he probably would make sure that we won't go.

Gabe seemed to soften, if possible. "So, this money for your trip…it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," Mom said.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back," Gabe said.

"We'll be very careful," Mom said.

Gabe scratched his double-chin. "Maybe if you and Aria hurry with that seven-layer dip…And maybe if the kids apologize for interrupting my poker game."

 _How about I drop-kick you through the wall?_ I thought. Mom looked at us, warning us not to anger him.

I made a fist, destroying the caramel ball I was holding. I spoke through gritted teeth, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I interrupted your very important poker game."

"I'm sorry," Percy muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now."

I tried to pick the blue candy shell from my hand.

"Yeah, whatever," Gabe said and walked away, presumably to finish his stupid poker game.

"Thank you, Percy and Aria," Mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about…whatever you both forgot to tell me, okay?"

For a second, I thought I've seen her look anxious, but then smiled and ruffled Percy's hair. I got up to help her with Gabe's seven-layer dip, but she stopped me. "You should pack up your things to take with you. I'll make it myself."

I looked at her, "If I help you make it, we'll be able to leave faster. Percy can pack up my things for me."

She looked at me and seemed to relent. I just wanted to get out of the apartment as quickly as possible. So, we both got to work on making the seven-layer dip.

* * *

Forty minutes later, we were ready to leave.

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch Percy lug our mother's bags to the car. "I can't believe I'm going to lose your cooking," he complained as went down to the parking lot.

"Oh, no, the horror," I muttered. "What are you going to do without our cooking for three whole days?"

Gabe griped, "More importantly, my car for the entire weekend."

"The nightmares he's going to have," I whispered to Percy, who snickered.

As we loaded the bags, Gabe politely warned us, "Not a scratch on this car, brainiacs. Not one little scratch."

"As if we're going to be the ones driving," I pointed out, "We're twelve." I held back from insulting him, because he definitely wouldn't let us go if I did.

He walked and I turned to look at Percy to roll my eyes at Smelly Gabe's over-dramatics, but Percy made that weird hand gesture that Grover did on the bus, but he made a shoving motion at Gabe.

The screen door slammed shut so hard that it whacked Gabe in the butt, sending him flying up the stairs as if he got shot from a cannon. Trying to hide my giggles, we got in the car as quickly as possible, before Gabe comes down blaming us for it.

"Step on it," Percy ordered Mom, who pulled out of the parking lot as if something was chasing us.

With that, I pulled out my unfinished cross stitch pattern to work on as she drove to Montauk.

* * *

We got to Montauk at sunset.

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a pastel blue colored box, which was half-buried in the sand dunes. I couldn't help but love the place, even though there was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets.

Percy and I have been going to Montauk ever since we were babies. Our mom had been going longer than us. Percy and I suspected that she loved the place because she met our dad here, but she never told us that.

We opened the windows in the cabin and started cleaning it. Percy shook out the sheets, while Mom swept, and I cleaned the cabinets out, feeling like I was getting hives at the dust, cobwebs, and spiders.

After that, went for a walk on the beach, feeding blue corn chips to the seagulls and ate blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and the rest of the free samples Mom brought home from work.

The story behind the blue food was because Gabe once told Mom that there was no such thing as blue food, resulting in a fight. Mom went out of her way to make blue food as much as possible. She made blue birthday cakes, cookies, and made blueberry smoothies…she even bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home as much blue candy as she could to rub it in Gabe's face.

Percy decided that it would be funny to kick the cold water at me. I squealed and went to kick some water back at him. He ran away and I grabbed some sand and threw it at him. He tried to dodge the sand, but got it hit with it. He kicked sand at me and I threw some sand back.

* * *

When night fell, we made a fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. Percy and I listened to Mom telling us stories about when she was kid before her parents died, she told us about books she wanted to write when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

In a way, I would miss the free samples she would bring home from work.

"Can you tell us about our father?" Percy prompted.

Mom's eyes went misty and I figured that she was going to tell us the same things she always did, but I knew Percy never got tired of hearing the stories.

In a way, hearing them made me feel a little closer to the dad I never knew.

"He was kind," Mom said, "Tall, handsome, and powerful, but gentle, too. You both have his black hair and green eyes." She pulled a blue jelly bean out of the bag. "I wish he could see you both. He would be so proud of you two."

I wonder what was so great about me; a dyslexic, hyperactive girl with a C report card, expelled for the sixth times in six years. Maybe my cross stitch stuff could be something he can be proud off, but I couldn't tell.

"How old were we?" Percy asked, "I mean, when he left?"

Mom was staring at the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach." She motioned to the cabin, "This cabin."

I was now confused, "We thought he knew us when we were babies."

"No, sweetie," Mom replied. "He knew I was expecting a baby, but not twins. He never saw you two. He had to leave before you were born."

So I was unplanned. Great. I remembered that warm glow and that smile I thought was from my father. I had always assumed he knew us when were babies, even though Mom never told us that.

Percy looked angry and I tried to rationalize that anger that I was beginning to feel. Maybe our dad didn't have a choice about going on that ocean voyage, so he had to leave. Maybe he wasn't ready to be a dad so he took that trip. He left, leaving Mom to marry the most unpleasant man in the world.

"Are you going to send us away again?" Percy asked, "To another boarding school?"

Mom pulled a marshmallow from the fire, "I don't know, honey." She sounded exhausted. "I think…I think we'll have to do something."

Percy asked, "Because you don't want us around?"

I almost kicked him in the shin. Sure, I did feel like I was a burden to Mom, but she was trying her best with us.

Mom looked like she was going to cry as she grabbed Percy's hand, "Oh, Percy, no. I—I _have_ to, honey. For your own good, I have to send you two away."

Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner told me—that it was better that I left Yancy. Bitterly, I said, "Because we're abnormal and freaks."

"You say that as if it's bad thing, Aria. You both just don't realize how important you are," Mom said.

How important I am? Why would I be important? The only thing that's great about me is my cross stitching.

"I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you two would finally be safe," Mom said.

I clearly remembered Mrs. Dodds attacking us when we were in the museum and I shuddered. I remember Grover saying that he was to protect us. I asked, "Safe from what, exactly?"

Mom looked upset again and I remember some stuff that I tried to forget.

During the third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked Percy and me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he left, growling. However, he had one eye and no one believed us when we told him.

I had an early memory from preschool. A teacher accidentally put Percy down for a nap in a cot that had a snake in it. Mom screamed when she came to pick us up and found us playing with a limp, scaly dead snake that Percy somehow strangled to death.

It seems like at every single school, something unsafe and creepy occurs there that makes us leave.

I wanted to tell Mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand and Mrs. Dodds at the museum, or the hallucination of Percy slicing our math teacher into dust with a sword, but I couldn't. I didn't want to ruin the trip and go home early because of it. I didn't want to put up with Gabe.

"I've tried to keep you two as close to me as I could," Mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. There's only one other option, Percy and Aria. The place your father wanted to send you two. And I just…I just can't stand to do it."

"Our father wanted us to go to a special school?" Percy asked.

"How would he know that we're going to end up with dyslexia and ADHD?" I asked.

"Not a school, a summer camp," Mom replied.

I was even more confused. Why would he want us to go to a summer camp? If this was so important, why didn't Mom mention it to us?

"I'm sorry, Percy and Aria, but I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you two for good," Mom continued, sounding a little choked up about it.

It's a summer camp, emphasis on summer. No camp would keep you there for good.

Percy asked, "For good? But if it's only a summer camp…"

Mom turned to face the fire and I knew that it we asked any more questions, she would cry. There was nothing worse than watching a parent cry.

* * *

I was to busy mulling over what Mom had said that I had trouble falling asleep, later that night. Why would Dad want us to go to summer camp? What summer camp keeps children there for good? Why a summer camp anyway? How am I important? Why did Mom have to send us away for our own good?

Despite those questions, I somehow fell asleep.

 _It was storming on the beach. A white horse and a golden eagle were trying to kill each other. The eagle flew down and slashed at the horse's muzzle, and the horse kicked at the eagle's wings. As the two majestic looking animals fought, a deep, chuckling laugh was coming from somewhere beneath the earth._

" _Fight harder," the voice said and chuckled once more._

 _I tried to run to the eagle and horse, because I knew that I had to stop them from killing each other. I was running to slow, because it felt like I was running in water or quicksand. The eagle dove down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes._

" _No!" Percy shouted as I covered my eyes._

I woke up to sunlight, but it went dark again. Percy was breathing heavily and I got up to look out the window. Twenty-foot waves were pounding at the sand dunes.

I wondered if we should wake up Mom, but a thunderclap startled me.

"Hurricane," Mom said, sounding alarmed.

I was confused, "On Long Island?" As far as I know, there were no hurricanes on Long Island. But then again, the weather seemed troubled these days.

I looked out the window, but it was to dark to see anything. I could see the rain beating down and I could've sworn I heard a distant bellow, which made me shiver. There was the sound like hooves hitting sand and someone pounding on the door. I considered grabbing the nearest lamp just in case.

Mom jumped out of her bed in her nightgown and unlocked the door. She opened it.

Grover was standing in the doorway, gasping, "Searching all night. What were you two thinking?

Mom looked at us in horror—she wasn't scared of Grover, but I think she knew why Grover came. "Percy! Aria! What happened at school? What didn't you two tell me?" Mom shouted.

"Zeus and other gods!" Grover shouted, "It's right behind me! Didn't either of you _tell_ her?"

" _Percy_! _Aria_! Tell me! _Now_!" Mom ordered using a tone that I never even heard her use before.

Percy and I managed to tell her about the three old ladies and Mrs. Dodds. I noticed that Mom's face was deathly pale in the flashes of lightning. I kept getting sidetracked because I wasn't sure what I was shocked at, though. Grover spoke Ancient Greek and I understood him, the tone Mom was using, or the fact that when I notice, Grover didn't exactly have any feet…because he had shaggy hindquarters and cloven hooves.

Mom grabbed her purse and tossed Percy his red rain jacket and tossed me my blue rain jacket. She ordered, "Get to the car. The three of you. _Go_!"

I grabbed my messenger bag with my cross stitch stuff in it and we ran for the Camero. Well, Percy and I ran, while Grover trotted for it, because of his shaggy hindquarters and cloven hooves.

Realization kicked me in the face; my brother's best friend is part goat.

* * *

A/N: I had to Google around for the translation of the Greek that Grover used, so I can get it right.


	4. How To Become a Bull-Fighting Champ, 101

Chapter 4: **How to Become a Bull-Fighting Champ, 101**

* * *

We drove through the night along the dark country roads. Wind was slamming against the Camaro and rain was lashing the windshield. I was worried that the wind and rain would break the windshield, which would've been horrible, because I was sitting in the front seat.

I wasn't sure how Mom could see because of the storm, but she kept driving. I kept glancing back every time there was a flash of lightning to see if Grover really was part goat or was wearing really furry pants for some reason, maybe as a fashion statement or something.

He was emitting this weird wet animal smell, which reminded me of the kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo trips that Percy and I used to go on. The school was banned from going there because I tried to take a guinea pig home with me.

The smell settled it, Grover really was part goat, but I know there's a word for it, but, just like the chance of me getting to see _Mötley Crüe_ live in concert, it eludes me.

"So, you and our mom…know each other?" Percy asked sounding curious.

"Not exactly," Grover replied. "I mean, we've never met in person, but she knew that I was watching you two."

"You were watching us?" Percy asked confused.

"Why?" I asked, just as confused. _Why did Mom want Grover to watch us?_ I wondered.

Grover explained, "To keep tabs on the both of you. Make sure that you two were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend. I really _am_ your friend."

I felt guilty at that, because Grover thought of me as a friend, while I thought of him as a mere acquaintance through Percy.

"Um…what _are_ you, exactly?" asked Percy.

"That doesn't matter," Grover replied in an offhand manner.

"'It doesn't matter?'" Percy repeated, sounding incredulous. "From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"

"Goat," I corrected right as Grover did his weird, phlegmy, throaty, " _Blaa-ha-ha!_ " laugh. Now that I _know_ he's part goat, I recognized it as a bleat that irritated goats make. The sound reminded me of the goat that made that sound, before it charged at me during one of those kindergarten trips to the petting zoo. Now that I thought about that one incident, I'm surprised that I didn't develop some sort of goat-phobia from that. I'm surprised that I hadn't thought of it as a bleat, considering that I had heard that sound before.

"Aria's right," Grover said, "I'm a _goat_ from the waist down."

"You just said it didn't matter," Percy pointed out.

" _Blaa-ha-ha!_ There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!" Grover exclaimed.

I really wanted to wake up from this weird ass nightmare or dream. Unfortunately, I was awake. At least, I was sure I was awake. I could be having some strange lucid dream.

"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs," Percy said. "You mean…like Mr. Brunner's myths?"

"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand, a _myth_ , Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?" Grover questioned.

"You told us that Mrs. Dodds a hallucination!" I accused, angrily. I wanted to strangle Grover for making me think that I was crazy.

"So you _admit_ there was a Mrs. Dodds!" Percy exclaimed, triumphantly.

"Of course," Grover replied as if he didn't gaslight Percy and me for most of the rest of the school year, by making us think that we were losing our minds. I kind of hated Grover at that moment for putting me through that.

Percy and I started to ask, "Then why—"

"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, as we should've known the answer all along. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped that you two would think that Kindly One was a hallucination shared between you two. But it was no good. You two started to realize who you are."

"Who we—wait a moment, what do you mean?" Percy asked.

"Can we actually get some answers, please?" I asked growing frustrated.

That weird bellowing noise rose up again from somewhere behind us, which sounded a lot closer than before. I shivered at the sound and looked in the side-view mirror but I couldn't see anything because of the storm.

"Percy and Aria, there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you two to safety," Mom said.

Percy asked, "To safety? Who's after us?" he sounded a little worried.

"Oh, nobody much," Grover replied, "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of blood-thirstiest minions."

"Grover!" Mom admonished for some reason.

I couldn't be sure if maybe it was because she didn't want to scare us or worry herself.

"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson," Grover replied. "Could you drive faster, please?"

I really wanted to wake up from this dream, but I was awake. I reached over to the driver's side of the backseat and pinched Percy's leg, just to see if this really was a dream.

"Hey!" he shouted at me.

"Just checking to see if I was dreaming," I replied.

"You couldn't have pinched yourself?" Percy asked.

Mom made a hard left turn and we swerved onto a narrower road, and raced past darkened farmhouses, wooded hills, and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs that were on white picket fences.

"We are we going?" Percy and I asked at the same time.

"The summer camp I told you about," Mom replied. He voice sounded tight, like she was trying not to be scared or cry. "The place your father wanted to send you two."

"The place that you didn't want to send us off to," I said, looking in the side-view mirror again. I wasn't sure why I was looking because I couldn't see anything because of the storm, but I looked anyway.

"Please sweetie," Mom said, "this is hard enough. Try to understand. You're both in danger."

"From what? Those old ladies cutting some yarn?" I asked, growing frustrated over the lack of answers.

"Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means—the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to…when someone's about to die."

"Whoa, you said 'you,'" Percy said sounding defensive.

"No I didn't," Grover lied, "I said 'someone.'"

"Yeah, you said, 'you.' As in me," I told him.

"You meant 'you.' As in _Aria_ ," Percy accused at the same I spoke.

"I mean _you_ , like 'someone'. Not you _her_ ," Grover said.

"Huh?" I replied a little confused.

Mom exclaimed, "Kids!" She pulled the wheel very hard to the right.

"What was that?" Percy asked.

"What did you see?" I asked growing a little restless.

"It looked like a dark shape," Percy answered.

"We're almost there," Mom said, as if she was talking to herself, "Another mile. Please. Please. Please. Please." It sounded like she was begging.

Whatever Mom was driving from, it had to be bad. I started moving my fingers around and squirmed in my seat. My knee started bouncing and I looked out the side-view mirror. There was nothing but darkness. My heart was beating rapidly and I wasn't why I was starting to get a little anxious. Something was after us and it was right behind us. Did Mrs. Dodds return from her powdery grave to attempt to kill Percy and me for a second time? I was sure that Mr. Brunner wouldn't show up to toss Percy a pen to us on Mrs. Dodds.

Suddenly the hair on my arms rose and there was a blinding flash of light.

 _BOOM_

I screamed and I felt weightless. I felt like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time, which is a highly unpleasant feeling.

I blacked out.

* * *

I opened my eyes to feel rain drops on me.

"Aria!" Mom shouted, sounding worried and terrified.

"I'm here," I said weakly. The roof of the car had a giant crack in it.

We had been struck by lightning, which caused us to swerve off the road.

Gabe was going to kill us, that is, if we didn't die from whatever was chasing us.

"Grover!" Percy shouted and I tensed up, worried if the guy was dead.

Grover groaned, "Food."

I relaxed, glad to know that Grover was okay.

"Percy, Aria, we have too…" Mom started and I looked in the side-view mirror.

There was a dark silhouette of a huge guy lumbering around toward us. It looked like he was holding a blanket over his head. The bulky top half of him was extremely hairy and he needed a good waxing. He had his hands in the air, looking like he was giving himself horns for some reason.

"What is he doing?" I asked shrilly.

"Percy, Aria, get out of the car," Mom said using a very serious tone. She threw herself against her door, but it didn't budge. I looked at my door, which seemed to be facing the sky. "Percy, Aria, you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"

" _What_?" Percy and I asked together.

There was another flash of lightning and through the hole, I saw a giant pine tree that would've fit at the White House. It looked like it was at the crest of the nearest hill.

"That's the property line. Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you get to the door," Mom instructed us.

"You're coming with us, too," I said.

Mom's face was pale and her eyes seemed as sad as when she looked out at the ocean.

"No!" Percy shouted, "You _are_ coming with us. Help us carry Grover."

Grover moaned, "Food!" It sounded louder.

The man with the blanket on his head was walking towards us, making this weird grunting, and snorting noises, which was disgusting. When he got closer, I realized that he had his arms at his sides. The weird bulking mass was actually his head. The horn-looking points were actually his horns.

"He doesn't want _us_ ," Mom said. "He wants you two. Besides, I can't cross the property line."

Percy and I started, "But—"

"We have don't time. Go. Please," Mom ordered.

I pushed the door open, allowing the rain to come in. "We're all going together. Let's go."

Percy opened the back door.

Mom started, "I told you—"

"Mom!" Percy interrupted, "We're not leaving you. Help us with Grover."

Percy and I climbed out of the car. Percy was dragging Grover out of the car, and I grabbed his arm, draping it over my shoulder. Despite Grover being surprisingly light, I'm sure that Percy and I couldn't have carried Grover by ourselves.

Mom ended up taking Grover from me. "Aria, run down to the farmhouse in the valley and get help."

I ended up glancing back at the monster.

He was roughly seven feet tall. His arms and legs looked like something from the cover of a _Muscle Man_ magazine, with bulging muscles sticking out like he was on steroids. The only article of clothing he wore was bright white underwear.

His neck was a mass of muscle and fur, leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as Percy's arm. He had a gleaming brass ring in his nostrils, like a cartoon bull's, and had enormous black-and-white lethally pointed horned tips.

I recognized the monster. He was one of the first stories Mr. Brunner had told us about, but it was impossible. The Minotaur couldn't have been real…yet he was standing in front of us, as real as can be. My mouth opened at the sight of the monster.

Percy started, "That's—"

"Pasiphae's son," Mom responded. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."

Percy started, "But he's the Min—"

"Don't say his name. Names have power," Mom warned and she looked at me. "Aria, run down to the big farmhouse and get help." She stated more firmly, " _Now_."

However, I couldn't move because I was to busy watching the Minotaur sniff at the windows of the car.

Grover moaned, "Food?"

Percy shushed him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His sight and hearing are terrible," Mom said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

The bull-man bellowed in rage, picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof. It creaked and groaned. He held the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for probably half a mile before stopping. The car exploded.

Gabe was going to ground me. By putting me in the ground. Literally.

"When he sees us, he'll charge," Mom explained. "Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way—directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

"How do you know all this?" Percy asked.

"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you two near me," Mom said. She looked at me, "Aria. Go get help."

For some reason, my legs were starting to wobble. I couldn't leave them here by themselves. I knew I was being stupid and I should do as I was told, but I couldn't.

Percy sounded incredulous, "Keeping us near you? But—"

A bellow interrupted Percy. The Minotaur was tromping uphill because he had smelt us. Or maybe he smelt Percy.

The pine tree was only a few yards away, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker. It looked like Grover was beginning to get heavy. I ran over to the pine tree and set my bag there telling myself, I was going to get it later.

The Minotaur seemed to close in on us and in a few seconds, he'll be on us.

Mom must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Aria! Remember what I said?"

I didn't want to split up, but I knew she was right. I sprinted to the right while Percy went left. I turned around to see that that the Minotaur was bearing down on Percy. The Minotaur lowered his head, horns at Percy's chest. I looked at the ground, trying to find a rock to throw at the monster, to get its attention. I couldn't find one. I looked up to see that Percy jumped sideways. The Minotaur stormed past him and then bellowed. It turned around and focused on Mom.

Percy and I had reached the crest of the hill. On the other side, I saw a valley and the lights of a farmhouse that was glowing yellow through the rain. The farmhouse was about half a mile away. We'd never make it. I would probably be halfway there by now if I had followed orders. However, I couldn't let my brother and my mom take on the Minotaur alone.

The Minotaur grunted. I turned around to see him pawing the ground, eyeing Mom, who was slowly backing away, trying to lead it away from Grover.

"Run, Percy and Aria!" she shouted. "I can't go any farther. Run!"

I stood there, shaking, as it charged at her. She tried to sidestep like she told us to do, but the monster learned its lesson. He grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.

"Mom!" Percy and I shouted.

She caught our eyes; "Go!" she choked out. The monster roared and closed his fists around her neck. She dissolved, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she was a holographic projection. There was a blinding flash of light, and she was gone.

"No!" we shouted in unison.

I felt near tears, which was mostly out of anger. The Minotaur bored down on Grover, who lying helpless in the grass. He sniffed Grover, as if he was going to make him disappear too.

Percy took off his rain jacket, "Hey!" He waved the jacket around to one side of the monster, "Hey, stupid! Ground beer!"

I couldn't believe how much of an idiot my brother was being. I won't lie, because I'm one, too. I found a stick, went to the other side of the monster. I held it up like a sword, "Hey! Hamburger meat! Over here!"

The monster roared and turned to look at the both of us, like he wasn't sure which one of us he should chose. He chose Percy, who had had back up to the pine tree. He was waving his jacket and the Minotaur charged at him. Percy jumped in the air, using the Minotaur's head as if it was a launching pad. He turned in midair and landed on the monster's neck, who ran straight into the tree.

I started to say, "How did you—"

The Minotaur staggered around, trying to shake Percy off and I ran over, hitting the back of the Minotaur's knee with the stick. He smelt like rotten meat. My wet hair was sticking to my face.

I hit the Minotaur in the stomach with the stick, which broke. I dropped it. He tried to grab at me, but I grabbed his arm, and threw myself over it, doing some sort of somersault over his arm, landing on my feet.

Percy started, "How did you—"

Grover started groaning on the grass and I went to check on him. He moaned, "Food!"

I wanted to yell at him to stop complaining about his damn food, but I knew that the Minotaur would've heard me. The Minotaur whirled around to face us and got ready to charge.

That was the Jackson Luck in play right here.

I grabbed Grover's arm and tried to get him to stand up. "Get up!" I tried to pull him to the side when I heard a large cracking sound. Percy had ripped a horn off.

The Minotaur roared and flung Percy off, and through the air. Percy hit a rock. "Percy!" I screamed and ran over to check on him.

Percy sat up, but his eyes looked unfocused, like he had a concussion. He was holding the horn in his hands, which was the size of a knife.

The monster charged at us and I sidestepped him while Percy rolled to be right next to me. He was kneeling and I knew what he was going to do. I grabbed the horn as well, the Minotaur ran right past us.

"This is for our mother!" I shouted right as we shoved the broken horn right under his ribcage. He began to disintegrate in crumbling sand, which was being blown away in chunks by the wind. He had disintegrated in exactly the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart in the museum.

The rain stopped and the storm rumbled on in the distance. It took a few seconds for me to get a hold of reality. My mother was gone, I felt like I had down three hundreds push-ups and jumping-jacks, one right after the other. My legs were shaking and my adrenaline rush was finally dying down.

I had survived a car accident. I had fought a Minotaur, a monster from Greek mythology. My mother was dead because of the Minotaur. I wanted to cry, but Grover was there needing my help. Percy and I went over to Grover, hauling him up. We put Grover's arms around our shoulders and staggered down into the valley, towards the lights of the big farmhouse. I started crying, like a dam had broken.

"Mom!" I shouted, despite knowing that she wasn't going to answer back.

"Mom!" Percy shouted, too, though I think he was highly concussed at the moment, so he probably didn't know that she was gone yet.

After a few more times of crying and calling for Mom, we collapsed on a wooden porch.

A stern, bearded looking face that looked familiar and a curly blonde-haired girl were looking down at us.

"They're the ones. They must be," the blonde stated firmly.

"Silence, Annabeth," the man replied. "They're still conscious. Bring them inside."


	5. My Former Latin Teacher is a Centaur

Chapter 5: **My Former Latin Teacher is a Centaur**

* * *

I had a weird dream that involved me riding the Minotaur like it was a horse during a storm, at Montauk. There was a rope attached to its two horns, like reigns, and I was holding a stick up in the air, in Greek, I was yelling, "Onward my loyal steed!" The Minotaur ran down the beach as I yelled, "Hee-haw!"

I was sure that I was still dreaming when I thought I woke up to see the curly blonde-haired girl standing over me, holding a plastic spoon, filled with what looked like banana pudding.

"What will happen at the summer solstice?" she asked in a whisper. It sounded like it was urgent.

"What?" I asked confused. At least I think I said, 'what,' because to my my ears, it sounded like I said, 'urgh' instead.

She looked around and asked, "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

I started to say something but there was a knock on a door. The girl proceeded to cram a spoonful of cheesecake tasting pudding in my mouth.

After that I blacked out again. I woke up again to see a blond surfer looking guy standing against the wall of the room, watching over me. He had blue _eyes_ all over his _body_ : on his cheeks, forehead, the backs of his hands, and then I blacked out again at the sight of the man. At least, I think I fainted, even though I never fainted before.

* * *

I woke up for real this time, sitting cross-legged outside on a porch chair. The breeze smelt like strawberries and I was having a bad case of dry-mouth. On the table next to me was a glass of iced apple juice, with a green straw, and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry. I grabbed the glass and nearly dropped it.

"Careful," Grover said, appearing behind me. He grabbed the glass and held it steady for me.

"Where's Percy?" I asked in a croaky voice, setting the glass down.

"He's still asleep," Grover said. "Annabeth's inside looking after him." He was wearing blue jeans, hi-tops, and a bright orange shirt that said: CAMP HALF-BLOOD on it. He was holding my messenger bag out to me by the strap. I remembered that I had left at the pine tree. So what I went through wasn't a weird nightmare.

"You and Percy saved my life," Grover said. "I…well…the least I could do was…here's your bag. I know how proud of it you are."

"Thanks," I said, grabbing it. At least it wasn't water damaged.

"You've been out for a day," Grover said as if that would cheer me up. "How much do you remember?"

"Going to Montauk…fighting the Minotaur…my mom…" I started to explain, feeling choked up at that.

Grover said, "Aria, it isn't a good idea—"

"That's what he's called," I said, feeling angry at Minotaur. "My mom…is she dead?" I dreaded the answer, knowing that it was my fault. I should've ran down to the farmhouse to get help like she had told me to do, but I didn't listen. I stayed behind and caused her to die. Percy and I were alone, orphans now, which I had caused. We had to live with Ugly Gabe…Well, I'd rather join the circus than live with that guy. I wasn't sure what Percy would rather do, but it was probably a hell of a lot better than being with Gabe. Grover was sniffling.

I looked at him, "It wasn't your fault. It's mine. She told me to get help, but I didn't. And now my mother is dead because of me."

"It's not your fault, Aria," Grover said. "She would've gone to the Underworld even if you weren't there. I'm sure of it."

I remember something about how you can bring someone back from the Underworld. "So…is it possible…for someone to bring someone back from the Underworld?"

"A few people have come close…Orpheus. Hercules. Houdini," Grover told me.

"Had either of them actually returned with somebody from the Underworld?" I asked, trying to sound conversational.

"Orpheus came close…" Grover explained and he eyed me suspiciously. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing," I replied quickly, grabbing the glass back and taking a giant sip of the apple juice. Instead of getting apple juice, it tasted like the blue cupcakes that Mom made, like they were still warm and had the blueberry frosting on them. It made my heart hurt at the thought. I set the glass down, realizing that I finished it and the ice cubes looked like they hadn't melted. I suddenly felt strong and full of energy.

"Was it good?" Grover asked, sounding mournful.

"Yeah," I replied. "It tasted like my mom's homemade cupcakes." I set the glass down and picked up the parasol that had the cherry on it. "Do you want the cherry?"

Grover took it and ate it; parasol and all. He smiled, "Thanks. Come on, Mr. D and Chiron are waiting."

The porch wrapped all around the farmhouse, as we came walked around the opposite end of the house.

We must have been on the north shore of Long Island, because of the valley that went all the way up to the water on this side of the house. The water seemed to glitter about a mile in the distance, which was breathtaking.

The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architectures, an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, and a circular arena, all of which looked brand-new.

There was a nearby sandpit where about a dozen high-school aged kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange tee-shirts, like Grover's, were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range, while others rode horses down a wooded trail. Either I was hallucinating, but it looked like some of the horses had wings.

At the end of the porch, two men were sitting across from each other at a card table. The man facing me was small, but chubby. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair that was so black it looked like it was almost purple. He looked like a middle-aged cherub wearing a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt. I think he would fit right in with Gabe's poker games, except this guy probably, no, could have out-gambled Gabe and somehow end up with our apartment.

The guy, whose back was to me, seemed familiar; it looked like he was sitting in a wheelchair and he was wearing a familiar looking tweed jacket.

"That's Mr. D," Grover said to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. And you already know Chiron…"

I recognized the thinning hair and I shouted, "Mr. Brunner!" I even startled myself.

He turned and smiled at me. His eyes had a mischievous glint in them, like when pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B. "Ah, good, Aria," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

I had no clue what pinochle was. "What?"

Mr. Brunner offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes. He did a great big sigh, "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Thanks?" I replied confused and moved my chair a little farther away from him.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner said to the blonde girl who just had emerged from the farmhouse.

She walked forward. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Aria. She's still nursing your brother. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Aria and Percy's bunk? We'll be putting them in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, probably a few inches taller than Percy, and she looked a whole lot more athletic looking than him and me. She had a deep tan and curly blonde hair. She had startling gray eyes that seemed to be calculating on how to kick my ass in a fight.

"You and your brother both drool in your sleep," she said to me, before running off and leaving me feeling very confused.

"So," I said, wanting to change the subject. I looked at Mr. Brunner, "I'm guessing you work here during the summer, Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner," said the man who was apparently not named Mr. Brunner. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay," I replied and I looked at Mr. D. "I'm guessing that Mr. D stands for something."

Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards and looked at me like I just rolled around naked in some mud. "Young lady, names are a powerful thing. You don't just go around using them for no reason."

"All right, sorry," I replied, feeling very confused.

"I must say, Aria," Chiron said, "I'm glad you see you and your brother alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to potential campers. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"What do you mean by 'house-call?'" I asked confused.

"My year at Yancy Academy was to instruct you and Percy," Chiron explained. "We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met Percy, and then when I showed up, it turned out that he also had a twin sister. Grover didn't have time to tell me after Percy introduced him to you a few days later. He sensed that Percy was something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to…ah, take a leave of absence."

I tried to remember the beginning of the school year at Yancy. After everything that had recently happened, it seemed a little fuzzy. I think I remembered having another Latin teacher for a week, but that one had disappeared, and Mr. Brunner had taken his place. When I thought about meeting Grover, he did seem a little surprised or stunned when Percy introduced me to him.

"You came to Yancy to teach Percy and me?" I asked, almost in disbelief.

Chiron nodded, "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you two at first. We contacted your mother; let her know that we were keeping an eye on you both in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you two still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you two made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

If getting here alive is the first test, what was the second test?

"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes, sir!" Grover said, trembling as he took the fourth chair.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Never heard of it, until now," I admitted.

"Never heard of it, until now, sir," Mr. D said.

"Sir," I repeated, unsure if I even liked Mr. D.

"Well," Mr. D said, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young ladies to know the rules."

 _Did he just call me uncivilized?_ I thought confused and feeling insulted.

"I'm sure she can learn," Chiron said.

"Please, can I get some answers? What is this place? Why am I here? Why did you go all the way to Yancy just to teach Percy and me?"

Mr. D snorted, "I asked the same questions." He dealt the cards and Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.

Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my grade was, I was his second star student, right behind Percy. He expected me to have the right answers. "Aria," he said. "Did your mother tell you two nothing?"

"She said…" I started, remembering her looking sadly out over the sea. "She told us that she was afraid to send us here even though our father wanted her to. She said that once we were here, we probably couldn't leave, and that she wanted to keep us close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D said, unconcerned. "That's how they usually get killed. Young lady, are you bidding or not?"

"What?" I asked, getting angry at him. Mr. D impatiently explained how you bid in pinochle, so I did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."

"There's an orientation film?" I asked confused.

"No…well, yes," Chiron said, "Well, Aria. You know Percy's and your friend is a satyr. You know that Percy and you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods—the forces you call the Greek gods—are very much alive."

I stared at the others around the table. I waited for somebody to yell, 'Not!' All I got instead was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points.

"Mr. D," Grover asked sounding timid, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, all right," Mr. D said.

Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it in a mournful manner.

"So, God exists?" I asked.

"Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

I started, "Aren't we talking about—"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter," Chiron explained.

I asked, "How small?"

"The gods that we discussed in Latin class," Chiron said.

"Oh, so you mean Zeus, Hera, Apollo," I said.

There was distant thunder and I looked at the sky, but it was cloudless.

"Young lady," warned Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."

I wanted to say that they were stories, but there was Grover eating the Diet Coke can and the fact that I just battled the Minotaur and Percy vaporized Mrs. Dodds who had turned into a monster. "Sorry," I muttered. I looked at Mr. D and the tiger printed shirt. Mr. D was short for something. I tried to remember all the D named gods I learned. "So, gods? You're Dionysus, the god of wine." I was proud of myself for remembering that.

Mr. D rolled his eyes, "What do they say these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'"

"Y-yes, Mr. D," Grover responded, sounding timid.

Mr. D responded, "Then, well, duh, Ariadne Jackson." I flinched at him using my full name. Nobody, besides Percy and my mom knew my full name. "Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

"No, you're too good-looking to be Aphrodite," I responded. I almost winced at my sarcasm, remembering Grover's instructions on being polite to Mr. D.

"Do you want to test me, child?" Mr. D asked.

"No," I said and added, "sir."

Mr. D looked at his cards. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a winning hand, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

Mr. D exhaled loudly through his nose, as if he was used to being beaten by Latin teachers. He got up and Grover did too. "I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face paled, "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me, "Cabin eleven, Aria Jackson. And mind your manners." With that, he walked into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably after him. It looks like I was going to figure out which cabin is number eleven all on my own.

"Grover's going to be all right? Right?" I asked Chiron.

"Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been…ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus," Chiron explained.

"Olympus?" I asked. "Like Mount Olympus in Greece?"

"Yes, there's a Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect of the old ways, but the palace moves, Aria, just as the gods do."

"Wait," I started. "So, if you and Mr. D are here, in America…you mean to tell me, that the gods are here in America?"

"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West," Chiron said.

I was confused, "the West?"

"Come now, Aria. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization was obliterated. The first started in Greece, then, as you well know—or as I hope you know, since you passed my course—that heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods."

I stared at him. This was a lot to take in. "If Mr. D is alive, then that means that the gods are still alive."

"Very good, Aria. America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here," Chiron said.

The way he said we as if I was part of this, like some sort of club. "Who…who am I?" I asked.

"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow." He rose from his wheelchair, but it looked weird. The blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move.

His waist kept elongating, rising above his belt. At first I thought he was wearing thermal pants, but as he kept rising out of the chair, and I realized that the wheelchair wasn't a box, but some sort of enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there was no way it could've held all of Chiron. A long, knobby-kneed with a huge polished hoof came out of the box, then another front leg and then hindquarters, and then the box was empty. It was now a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached to the front.

I stared at the horse that had just sprung from the wheelchair. He was a huge white stallion with the upper body of my former Latin teacher.

Chiron said, "Now, come, Aria Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

My messenger bag slipped from my fingers and hit the porch with a _thud,_ as realization slapped me in the face. My former Latin teacher was a centaur.


	6. How To Make Enemies, 101

A/N: A/N: The face-claim to Eric is Braeden Lemasters.

* * *

Chapter 6: **How to Make Enemies, 101**

* * *

I was sure that I spent a few good minutes, standing there with my mouth open, staring at him. I finally came to my senses that my former Latin teacher was a centaur, after I wasn't sure how long. I crouched down to grab my messenger bag and I stood up.

Chiron started leading me away, where we walked past the volleyball pit and some of the campers stared and pointed at me. One girl said, "That's her."

Most of the campers were older than me and their satyr friends were bigger than Grover. All of them trotted around, wearing the same orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD tee-shirts. I wasn't normally shy, but they stared at me, as if expecting me to do something amazing, like walk on my hands or something.

I looked back at the farmhouse to see that it was bigger than I realized. It was four stories tall, a sky blue color with white trim, like it belonged on an upscale seaside resort than on a farm. The only thing that ruined the resort theme that the house seemed like it was going for, was the eagle weather vane that topped it all off. Seeing that, kind of unnerved me a little.

"Come along, Aria," Chiron said, "Lots to see." He started leading me away, towards the strawberry fields and the forest.

We walked through the strawberry field where campers picked strawberries to the tune of the satyr playing on a reed pipe. Chiron explained to me that the camp grew strawberry crops for exporting. The crops paid for the camp's expenses and that strawberries took no time to grow. Apparently Mr. D had an effect on fruit-plants but his powers worked better with wine-grapes. However, since he was restricted from wine, they grew strawberries instead.

Chiron led me to the forest, which I realized was quite huge. It took up a quarter of the valley. The trees were so tall and thick, that I was sure no one had been in there before. It kind of reminded me of the Forbidden Forest from _Harry Potter_.

"The woods are stocked, so if you want to try your luck, be armed," Chiron said.

"Stocked with what?" I asked, almost shrilly. "And what do you mean by 'armed'?"

"You'll see," Chiron said, ignoring my question as if he wanted it to be a surprise. Maybe he did want to surprise me. "Capture the Flag is Friday night. Do you have your own sword and shield?"

"What?" I asked, wondering if he just asked me if I have my own sword and shield. What twelve year old girl owns a sword and shield, anyway?

"No," Chiron said. "I don't suppose you do. I think a size four will do. I'll visit the armory later."

 _What type of camp is this that we need a sword and shield just to play Capture the Flag?_ I wondered, _what type of camp has an armory?_

The tour continued, with us viewing the archery range, the canoeing lake, which I really wanted to do later. We past the stables which Chiron didn't seem to like very much. We also past the javelin range, the sing-along amphitheater, and the arena that held sword and spear fights, according to Chiron.

"Sword and spears fights? How…exciting," I said wondering what type of camp has sword and spear fights. Then again, apparently this place wasn't like any ordinary summer camp.

"Cabin challenges and all that," Chiron explained. "Not lethal. Usually. Oh, yes, and there's the mess hall." He pointed to an outdoor pavilion framed in white Grecian columns on a hill overlooking the sea. There were a dozen stone picnic tables. The thing was, it didn't have a roof or walls.

I started to say, "So, what happens if it rains…?"

"We still have to eat, don't we?" Chiron said, looking at me as if I asked him if the sun was hot.

I decided not to elaborate as he led me to the area where the cabins were located.

I saw that there were twelve of them, nestled in the woods right by the lake. The cabins were in some sort of U shape, with two cabins at the front that acted as the base. There were five cabins that were in a row on either side of the first cabins. They were no doubt, the strangest collection of buildings that I'd ever seen.

The only thing that they all had in common was that they all had a brass number on the doors. The odds were on the left side and the evens on the right.

Number nine had smokestacks as if it was some factory. Number four had vines on the walls and a roof that looked like it was made out of real grass. Seven seemed to be made of solid gold, which shined so bright in the sunlight that it was impossible to even look at. They all faced a commons area about the size of a soccer field, which was dotted with Greek statues, fountains, flower beds, and a couple of basketball hoops. Once Percy woke up, I will challenge him to a game.

However, in the center of the field was a huge stone-lined fire pit. Even though it was a warm afternoon, the hearth smoldered. I could've sworn that I saw a nine year old girl tending to the flames by poking the coals with a stick.

The pair of cabins at the head of the field, numbers one and two, looked like big white marble boxes with heavy columns in front.

Cabin one was the biggest and bulkiest of the twelve. It had polished bronzed doors that seemed to shimmer like it was a hologram. From different angles, it looked like lightning bolts were streaking across them.

Cabin two somehow looked like it was more graceful with slimmer columns that were garlanded with pomegranates and flowers. The walls were carved with images of peacocks.

"Let me guess, Zeus and Hera?" I asked, motioning to the cabins.

"Correct," Chiron said, nodding.

"They look empty," I said, looking at the empty cabins.

"Several of the cabins are. No one ever stays in one or two," Chiron said.

"So each cabin is for a different god or goddess?" I asked, wondering why no one stayed in cabins one and two.

Chiron nodded and I went to the first cabin on the left.

It was cabin three. I noticed that it didn't look all high and mighty like cabin one was. It was long, low, and somehow more solid looking. The outer walls were rough gray stones, studded with pieces of seashell and coral, as if the slabs had been picked straight off the ocean floor. I couldn't help but look inside the open doorway.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that!" Chiron shouted, grabbing my arm and yanking me back.

I caught the salty scent of the interior, which reminded me of the wind on the shore of Montauk. The interior walls glowed like it was abalone and there were six empty bunk beds with silk sheets turned down. I couldn't help but notice that cabin three seemed sad and lonely inside.

Chiron pulled me back, "Come along, Aria."

Most of the other cabins were crowded with campers.

Number five was bright red—as if the color had been splashed on with buckets and fists. The roof was lined with barbed wire and a stuffed wild boar's head hung over the doorway. At least, I hoped that it was stuffed.

There was a bunch of kids inside arm wrestling and arguing with each other as rock music blared. I think the oldest girl was maybe fourteen. She was wearing the CAMP HALF-BLOOD tee-shirt under a camouflage jacket. She seemed to notice me and gave an evil sneer. She kind of reminded me of Nancy, though the camper girl was much bigger and probably could have punted Nancy and Emily across two football fields if she wanted to.

We walked along the cabins and Chiron said, "Oh, look. Annabeth is waiting for us."

She was waiting in front of the last cabin on the left, which was cabin eleven. She looked over me critically, like she was searching me for weak spots in which to inflict maximum pain.

"Annabeth, I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you take Aria from here?" Chiron said.

"Yes, sir," Annabeth said.

"Cabin eleven," Chiron said to me, gesturing at the doorway. "Make yourself at home."

Cabin eleven was the only cabin that actually resembled an old summer camp cabin. However, the threshold was worn down and the brown paint was peeling and needed to be repainted. Over the doorway was a caduceus. Inside, there were more people, than the number of bunk beds, because sleeping bags were spread all over the floor. It resembled a gym where the Red Cross had set up an evacuation center. This cabin seriously should be considered a very serious health code violation for being over-capacity.

Chiron didn't go in because the door was too low for him, but when the campers saw him, they all stood and bowed respectfully to him. I wondered if maybe I should do it too.

"Well, then," Chiron said. "Good luck, Aria. I'll see you at dinner." He galloped away toward the archery range.

I stood in the doorway, looking at the kids. They weren't bowing anymore because they were now staring at me, sizing me up. I, sadly, knew the routine well because I'd gone through it at enough schools.

"Well?" Annabeth prompted. "Go on." I walked in the cabin with Annabeth following. She said, "Aria Jackson, meet cabin eleven."

"Regular or undetermined?" a tanned girl asked. She had dark hair and she looked to be my age.

While I wondered what that meant, Annabeth said, "Undetermined.

Everybody groaned and a guy who looked to be nineteen, walked forward, "Now, now, campers. That's what we're here for. Welcome, Aria. You can have that spot on the floor, right over there."

He was tall and muscular, with short-cropped sandy hair and a friendly smile. Instead of the orange tee-shirts, he wore an orange tank top, cutoff sandals, and a leather necklace with five different-colored clay beads. The only thing that was unsettling about his appearance was a thick white scar that ran from just beneath his right eye to his jaw, like it was an old knife slash. Otherwise, he was a good looking dude.

"This is Luke," Annabeth said, her voice sounded different. "He's your counselor, for now."

"What do you mean by 'for now'?" I asked confused.

"Until you're determined," Luke explained. "They don't know what cabin to put you in, so you're here. Cabin eleven takes all newcomers, all visitors. Naturally, we would. Hermes, our patron, is the god of travelers."

I looked at the tiny section of floor he'd given me. The only thing that I could put there to mark it as my space was my messenger bag, which was full with cross stitch supplies. I considered putting my bag there, but I remembered that Hermes was also the god of thieves, and I didn't want them to look through my bag either. I knew that they won't find anything but cross stitch supplies, but I didn't want to take the chance.

I looked at the campers' faces. Some seemed sullen and suspicious, some were grinning widely, and some were eyeing me as if they wanted to pickpocket me.

"So, how long will I be here?" I asked.

"Good question," Luke said, "Until you're determined."

"Which will take how long?" I asked and then the campers started laughing at me, as if I told them that I was actually a princess from England. My face felt warm and I knew I was near embarrassment tears.

"Let me show you the canoe lake," Annabeth said, taking my shoulder and pulling me out of the cabin. I nearly tripped over the threshold.

"Jackson, you have to do better than that," Annabeth said, once we were a few feet away.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "And I thought you were the one. Maybe it's your brother."

"What's going on?" I asked, growing frustrated. "All I know is, that Percy and I killed some bull-man—"

"Don't talk like that!" Annabeth snapped. "You know how many kids at this camp wish they'd had your chance?"

Incredulous, I asked, "To almost get killed?"

"To fight the Minotaur! What do you think we train for?" Annabeth asked.

"Sucks for them, because the Minotaur is now dead," I said and realized something. "Again," I added because the Minotaur was dead years and years ago.

"You can dispel them for a while, maybe even for a whole lifetime if you're lucky. They're primal forces. Chiron calls them archtypes. Eventually they re-form," Annabeth explained.

I said, "So, if Percy killed one, accidentally, with, say a sword—"

"The Fur…I mean, your math teacher. That's right. She's still out there. He just made her very, very mad," Annabeth said.

"How do you know about Mrs. Dodds?" I asked suspicious.

"Your brother talks in his sleep," Annabeth said.

That was one of the reasons I didn't want to share a room with him. "Okay, so why do I have to stay in cabin eleven, anyway? There's other, empty bunks everywhere."

"You don't choose a cabin, Aria. It depends on who your parents are. Or…your parent," Annabeth said. She looked at me, as if waiting for me to get it.

"My mom…works at the candy store in Grand Central. At least, she used to," I muttered, looking at my messenger bag.

"I'm sorry about your mom, but that's not what I mean. I'm talking about your other parent. Your dad," Annabeth said.

"Percy and I never knew him. My mom says…said that he's lost at sea. Percy and I think he's actually dead," I said.

"Your father's not dead," Annabeth said, sighing, as if she had this conversation with other kids loads of times. She probably had.

"How can you be sure?" I asked a little suspicious.

"I know you. You wouldn't be here if you weren't one of us," Annabeth said.

"What do you know about me?" I asked frustrated.

"I bet you moved around from school to school. I bet you were kicked out of a lot of them. Diagnosed with dyslexia. Probably ADHD, too" Annabeth stated.

"Okay," I admitted, "That's true. You sound like you've been through the same thing."

"Most of the kids here did. If you weren't like us, you and your brother couldn't have survived the Minotaur, much less the ambrosia and nectar."

"Ambrosia and nectar?" I asked.

"The food and drink we were giving you and your brother to make you better. That stuff would've killed a normal kid. It would've turned your blood to fire and your bones to sand and you'd be dead," Annabeth said.

I was trying to figure out which question to ask when there was a scraping sound beside us. I turned to look to see a boy, about my age. He had sort of shaggy brown hair and had lightly tanned skin, like he spent most of his time in the sun. He was wearing camouflage pants and black fingerless gloves.

"That's Eric Crowe. Son of Ares," Annabeth said. "He's the third longest camper here. He showed up in the fall, months after me."

"Oh," I replied. "Why did he show up?"

"My mother used to be a good person," a male voice said from to the side.

I realized that it came from Eric. Before I could ask him what he meant by that, a husky voice yelled, "Well, well! Look what we have here! A newbie!"

It was the big girl from the red cabin. She was sauntering towards us and she had a group of three girls trailing behind her, all wearing camouflage jackets.

"Clarisse," Annabeth said. "Why don't you go polish your spear or something?"

"Sure, Miss Princess," the girl, I'm assuming Clarisse, said. "So I can run you through with it Friday night."

" _Go to the crows!_ " Annabeth said in Greek, which I somehow understood. "You don't stand a chance."

"We'll pulverize you," Clarisse said. "Who's this little runt?"

"Aria Jackson," Annabeth said, "meet Clarisse, Daughter of Ares."

I looked at Clarisse and nodded at her, "Hi."

"We got an initiation ceremony for newbies, Airhead." Clarissa said in return, as if that counted as a greeting.

"Aria," I corrected her, knowing she intentionally called me Airhead.

"Whatever. Come on, I'll show you," Clarisse said, grabbing at my arm.

Annabeth started, "Clarisse—"

"Stay out of it, wise girl," Clarissa snapped and Annabeth looked a little hurt at that.

I wanted her help, but I knew that since I was the new kid, I needed to do things on my own, which meant fighting Clarisse and her sisters. I handed my messenger bag to Annabeth.

"I think the bathrooms are a little to far away," one of the girls said. "This lake will do. I mean, I guess we can start a new initiation ceremony."

Before I can make a break for it, a girl wrapped her arms right around my chest. I struggled kicking, but another grabbed my feet. The other girl joined her sister at my legs. The third grabbed at my arms.

I realized that they were going to swing me right into the lake. _Oh, god no. Anything but that,_ I thought struggling. _I don't want to get wet. I don't even have spare clothes. Take them instead_. I was swung back and forth. I was trying to wiggle my way out.

"Like she's Big Three Material," Clarisse said. "The Minotaur probably fell over dead because he saw her ugly mug!"

"I bet you turn monsters to stone, because you're just as ugly as Medusa!" I replied and then I went airborne, flying straight into the water. I swore that I saw two girls scatter at the sight of me. The lake was surprisingly deep and I kicked my way to the surface. I lugged my way to the edge. I threw my hair back, expecting to feel wet hair, but it was dry, just like the rest of me.

Annabeth was standing to the side of the lake, holding my messenger bag, staring at me. I think she was looking at me in shock. Eric was standing next to her, gaping at me too.

"How did you…?" Annabeth started to say.

"What did I do?" I asked, confused.

"They threw you in the lake and then the splash rose up like a wave and grabbed them, pulling them in right after you," Eric explained.

I looked at Annabeth, wanting clarification, but she was looking at me critically again. "What?" I asked, a little uncomfortable at her looking at me like that.

"I think I want you on my capture the flag team," Annabeth said, studying me.

"You're dead, new girl!" Clarisse shouted from behind me. I turned to see her and her sisters had surfaced the lake. Clarisse lunged at me, but she was held back by her sisters.

"Don't slip!" I shouted at her, really wanting to see her slip. As if knowing what I wanted, she did just that, flopping back down, face-first, in the water, like her feet was knocked out from under her.

"You should go," Eric said, looking at us, but he was grinning. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't place, so we did just that.

* * *

A/N: I figured, why not have Aria accidentally embarrass Clarisse in a different way other than using the toilets like Percy did?

Also, I couldn't figure out when Annabeth and Luke got to camp, and I couldn't find anything on the Percy Jackson wikia, when I looked. So, I figure that it was probably spring considering she got five clay beads, and she was seven years old when she showed up. So, I consider Eric the third longest camper there, because Luke is probably the second longest, if Annabeth is considered the camper who's been there the longest.


	7. I Burn My Dinner as an Offering

A/N: The face-claim for Casseopeia Washington is Zendaya Coleman.

* * *

Chapter 7: **I Burn My Dinner as an Offering to the Gods**

* * *

Somehow, word spread quickly about the lake incident. I had a few campers point at me and whispered something about lake water.

Annabeth showed me a few more places: the metal shop where kids forged their own swords, the arts-and-crafts room where it looked like satyrs were currently make a marble statute of something, and the climbing wall which was two facing walls that shook violently, dropped boulders, sprayed lava, and clashed together, if you didn't get to the top fast enough.

We ended up back at the canoe lake, where the trail led back to the cabins.

"I've got training to do," Annabeth said in a monotone. "Dinner's at seven-thirty. Just follow your cabin to the mess hall."

"I don't…know why I'm here," I admitted. "I don't know anything and it's frustrating." I looked at the lake where just twenty minutes ago, I somehow snatched Clarisse and her sisters in a wave, pulling them into it, and I emerged completely dry. I saw two teenage girls sitting cross-legged at the base of the pier, about twenty feet below. They were wearing blue jeans and shimmering green tee-shirts. Their brown hair was floating in the water. They glared at me, probably for me rudely interrupting whatever it was that they were doing earlier, but they grudgingly waved at me, as if we happened to be old friends. I think they were called naiads. I looked at Annabeth, "I want to go home. _Now_."

Annabeth frowned at that, "You are home. This is the only safe place on earth for kids like us."

"Like us?" I repeated and Annabeth looked at me. "By that, you mean…?"

"Half-humans," Annabeth stated.

"Half-humans…" I started and suddenly felt tired, like I really needed a good nap. "Half-human, half-god."

"Your dad's not dead. He's one of the Olympians," Annabeth said.

I started, "If all the kids here are half-gods—"

"Demigods," Annabeth corrected. "That's the official term. Or half-bloods."

"Who's your dad?" I asked.

Annabeth gripped the pier railing and I realized that I hit a sensitive topic. "My dad is a professor at West Point." she said, "I haven't seen him since I was very small. He teaches American history."

"Oh," I replied. Her dad was a human. "Who's your mom, then?"

"Cabin six," she replied, as if that answered everything.

Cabin six had a barn owl symbol on it. If I remembered correctly, an owl was a symbol of Athena. "So…that's Athena, Goddess of wisdom and battle." Annabeth nodded. "Then who's my dad?" I asked.

"Undetermined, nobody knows," Annabeth answered.

"I think my mother knew," I said, trying to recall if she may have dropped hints about his identity.

"Maybe not, Aria," Annabeth responded. "The gods don't always reveal their identity."

"I think he told my mom," I said, still racking my brain for any hints. Percy and I had his black hair and eyes. She never said his name in our presence, even though she must have known his name.

"Maybe, maybe not," Annabeth said. "Maybe he'll send a sign. That's the only way to know for sure: your father has to send you a sign claiming you as his daughter. Sometimes it happens."

"You just implied that sometimes they don't." I said, and remembered the sullen and depressed looking teens.

"The gods are busy. They have a lot kids and they don't always…Well, sometimes they don't care about us, Aria. They ignore us," Annabeth explained.

"Well, that's horrible," I said, "I mean, the ignoring us part and not caring about us part. So, Percy and I are stuck here?"

"It depends," Annabeth said. "Some campers only stay the summer. If you're a child of Aphrodite or Demeter, you're probably not a real powerful force. The monsters might ignore you two, so you can get by with a few months of summer training and live in the mortal world the rest of the year. But for some of us, it's too dangerous to leave. We're year-rounders."

She continued, "In the mortal word, we attract monsters. They sense us. They come to challenge us. Most of the time, they'll ignore us until we're old enough to cause trouble—about ten or eleven years old, but after that, most demigods either make their way here, or they get killed off. A few manage to survive in the outside world and become famous. Believe me, if I told you the names, you'd know them. Some don't even realize they're demigods. But very, very few are like that."

I refuse to believe that Nikki Sixx from _Mötley Crüe_ is a demigod. The guy overdosed on heroin multiple times and was declared clinically dead a few times. There's no way in hell that he is a demigod, although he is a god on the bass, in my opinion.

"So, I'm guessing monsters can't get in here," I said.

"Not unless they're intentionally stocked in the woods or specially summoned by somebody on the inside," Annabeth explained.

"Okay, so how come monsters can't get inside?" I asked.

"The borders are sealed to keep mortals and monsters out. From the outside, mortals look into the valley and see nothing unusual, just a strawberry farm," Annabeth explained.

I nodded and looked around the camp. "Can I visit my brother?"

Annabeth nodded and lead me back to the farmhouse and she led to the infirmary. There were hospital beds in the room with white curtains on one side of the bed. Each bed had a bedside table with it. One curtain was drawn and there was a poster of a cartoon satyr with a thermometer sticking out of his mouth. The poster had the caption: _Don't let sickness get your goat!_ There was a cart with medical supplies and herbs.

We walked to the curtain and I pulled it to the side. Percy was lying on the bed, drooling. He was still looking pale and I sat down next to him.

Annabeth said, "I'm going to get you some ambrosia and nectar. You could feed it to him." She looked a little awkward and walked away.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Talk to him? Would he even hear me? "Percy, wake up." He didn't wake up, of course. So I tried again, "Mom might not be dead, Percy." I almost choked up at that. "If she's dead, it's my entire fault. I should've got help like she told me to. I didn't do anything. I just stood around, doing nothing." I imagined him asking me what I was going to do about it. "I'm going to train here at this camp. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, either. You're all that I have left now. Wake up."

He didn't even acknowledge my presence or voice. He continued to lay there breathing and drooling. But the important thing was that he was breathing. He was more injured than I was, because he smashed his head onto a rock, after all.

Annabeth walked in and walked over. She was holding a container of what looked like banana pudding and a plastic spoon. "This is ambrosia. You can feed it to him if you want."

I nodded and took the container of ambrosia and plastic spoon from Annabeth, "Thanks."

"Don't give him to much," Annabeth said.

I remembered Annabeth's warning very clearly. I opened the container and scooped some ambrosia out to spoon into Percy's mouth.

* * *

After that, I went back to cabin eleven, feeling more miserable than I had ever felt in my entire life. It was worse than the time that Nancy and Emily dumped their lunch on my head to show that we were no longer friends. At least I had a good reason to be moping. I wanted to get back to the cabin and stare at a wall while sulking, which was the second thing that usually made me feel better; cleaning was the first thing that made me feel better, and doing some cross-stitching was the third thing.

When I got there, everyone was horsing around and talking. It made me feel like some sort of outcast. So, I sat on the spot that Luke claimed was mine and stared at the wall, trying to get my sulk on, but Luke came over.

"Here's a sleeping bag," Luke said handing a sleeping bag to me. "And here you go, some stolen toiletries from the camp store."

I couldn't tell if he was joking about the stolen part and I tried to remember where the camp store was located because I couldn't remember if Chiron or Annabeth told me where it was at. "My brother will wake up soon, so you should find another sleeping bag for him. But thanks anyway."

I took the bag of toiletries and the sleeping bag, which was pink. Seriously? It had to be pink. I had no problem with pink, but it couldn't have been a different color?

"No problem," Luke said and sat next to me, "Rough day?"

I shrugged in response, "Something like that."

"It doesn't get easier," Luke said, sounding bitter.

I was surprised at that because Luke seemed like a laid back, go-with-the-flow type of guy.

"So, Hermes?" I said, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah, Hermes," Luke replied in a casual tone.

"He's the medicine guy," I replied.

"Messengers, travelers, merchants, thieves," Luke explained, "anybody who uses the roads. That's why you're here, enjoying cabin eleven's hospitality. Hermes isn't picky about who he sponsors."

I wasn't sure if I should be offended that Luke essentially called me a nobody. I busied myself with looking through my messenger bag.

"Don't worry too much, Aria. The campers here, they're mostly good people. After all, we're extended family, right? We take care of each other," Luke said.

I wasn't entirely sure what he meant by 'mostly good'. Maybe he was talking about Clarisse and her gang of sisters, then again, the campers in here, minus Luke, laughed when I asked how long it will take for me to be 'determined' despite me being obviously new here. I just nodded in response and pulled out the fabric to my cross-stitching. It was obvious that I wasn't going to be staring at the wall, so I might as well try to look busy.

I knew I wasn't trying to make any friends, and I can't exactly tell if Annabeth is my friend, despite her being helpful with giving me information.

I wasn't sure how long I was doing my cross-stitching when I heard a conch shell being blown in the distance. I wasn't entirely sure I knew that it was a conch shell because I never heard the sound before.

"Eleven, fall in!" Luke yelled, almost startling me. I packed up my stuff and the twenty of us campers went in the common yards, lining up in order of seniority, so I was dead last. Percy would be last when he woke up. There was a black girl right in front of me and she turned to look at me, as we started walking to the mess hall pavilion. She had dark brown hair and brown eyes.

She smiled widely, "I'm Cassiopeia Washington. No relation to the president, and, please, call me Casey."

"I'm Aria Jackson," I said.

"I know," Casey replied. "You're the Minotaur Slayer."

"My brother helped," I replied, embarrassed to be taking most of the credit.

"Either way, you slayed the Minotaur," Casey responded. "How was it? Was it easy? Was it hard?"

"It was…" I started, "Kind of easy, I suppose."

Casey nodded, "I kind of wish I had your opportunity like that. No, all I end up getting is chased out of my own home."

"Chased out of your home?" I asked, "By what?"

"That's a long story," Casey said shrugging it off. "Anyway, I saw you doing some cross-stitching earlier. The arts and crafts center has cross-stitch supplies in there."

"Okay, thanks," I replied. I noticed that cabin eight seemed to be glowing silver due to the setting sun.

"That's Artemis's cabin," Casey said when she noticed what I was looking at.

Satyrs came from the meadows and naiads emerged from the canoeing lake. A few girls came out of the woods, literally, because I saw a girl emerge from a tree. I was pretty sure they were wood nymphs.

In all, I think there were about three hundred campers, a few dozen satyrs, and a dozen assorted naiads and wood nymphs.

We got to the pavilion, where torches were lit around the columns. In the center was a fire burning in a bronze brazier the size of a bathtub. For every table, there was a tablecloth that was white trimmed in purple. Four tables were empty, but cabin eleven was overcrowded. I had to squeeze on the edge of a bench with half of my butt hanging off. I wondered what would happen when Percy got up. Would someone have to bring out a chair for Percy? That would be embarrassing.

I saw Grover sitting at table twelve with Mr. D, a few satyrs, and a couple of plump blond boys who looked just like Mr. D. They must be Mr. D's sons. Chiron stood to one side because the picnic table was too small for him.

Annabeth was at table six with a bunch of serious-looking athletic kids, all with honey-blond hair. I would bet my messenger bag that they all had gray eyes.

Clarisse was seated behind me at Ares's table. She seemed to have gotten over her dip in the canoe lake because she was laughing and belching with some of her siblings. I couldn't help but notice that Eric was still wearing his fingerless gloves and seemed to be demonstrating some sort of illegal-looking chokehold to his sisters, who were grinning wickedly.

Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion, causing everyone to go silent. He raised a glass and said, "To the gods!"

Everybody else raised their glasses, so I grabbed the glass in front of me and raised it as well, "To the gods!" I finished saying it at the last second and I could've sworn I heard Clarisse snicker at my mistimed luck.

At that, wood numbs came forward with platters of food: grapes, apples, strawberries, cheese, fresh bread, and barbecue.

My glass was empty and I stared at it.

"Say your preferred drink," Casey told me. "It has to be nonalcoholic. Watch," she looked at her glass, "Pepsi Wild Cherry." Her glass filled with sparkling caramel liquid.

"That's so cool," I replied and looked my glass. "Dr Pepper." My glass filled up with soda. Will it turn blue if I ask? I wondered and said, "Blue Dr Pepper." My soda turned a blue color.

"Nice," Casey said, but it sounded friendly and not a snide remark at the strangeness of my request.

I grabbed the glass and took a cautious sip. It tasted perfect and I drank a toast to my mom and my brother.

"Oh, here," Casey said, passing me a platter of smoked steak.

I loaded up my plate and noticed that it seemed like everybody was getting up and carrying it to the fire in the center of the pavilion.

"Come on," Luke said from behind me.

I grabbed my plate and saw that everyone was taking a portion of their meal and dropping it into the fire.

"Its burnt offerings for the gods," Casey told me.

"They like the smell," Luke said, clarifying what Casey said.

"They like the smell of burnt food?" I asked and they gave me a warning look, like I shouldn't take it lightly.

Luke approached the fire, bowed his head, and tossed in a cluster of fat red grapes. He said, "Hermes!"

Casey went next and tossed in a handful of strawberries. "To my mother, whoever you are."

I wondered what to say and went up. "Um…to whomever my dad is, give me a sign." Oh, I forgot my manners, "Please." I chucked in a large portion of my fresh bread. I caught the smell of smoke. It smelt oddly like fresh-bakes chocolate chip cookies and brownies. It smelled like cupcakes and a bunch of other good things that probably shouldn't mix, but somehow did. I could believe that gods would live off that smell.

When we returned to our seats and finished eating, I wished that Percy could be here. Chiron stomped his hoof again to get our attention.

Mr. D heaved a sigh and stood up, "Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. I should tell you that we have a new camper today, Alyssa Jamison."

 _Who the hell is Alyssa Jamison?_ I thought and watched as Chiron whispered something to Mr. D.

"Er, Aria Jackson," Mr. D corrected, "That's right. Hurrah and all that. Now run along to your silly campfire. Go on."

Everyone, but I, cheered. I wondered how Mr. D forgot my name. He was married to my namesake after all, if I remembered the myths correctly.

We all headed down toward the amphitheater.

"Don't worry about him forgetting your name," Casey told me. "He forgets everyone's names. He once called me Clara Wallaby."

"He's probably doing it to show insignificant he finds us all," I said, remembering my purposeful misnaming of Emily Lancaster.

"You know it," Casey said as she found us seats at the amphitheater.

"Hey, how long have you been here?" I asked, curious.

"Five months," Casey said.

"Who do you think your mother is?" I asked.

Casey shrugged, "I'm not sure. It would be funny if it was Athena."

I looked at her, remembering Annabeth and her blond siblings. "Yeah, give the cabin a bit of a shake up."

"I could always be either a daughter of Demeter or Aphrodite," Casey said. "But I can't grow plants like Demeter and I don't think I'm beautiful for Aphrodite."

"Oh, please, you're beautiful. You could be," I said. "Who do you think my dad is?"

Casey looked at me. "I know that Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades are definitely out of the question, though."

That caught my interest, "Why?"

"They swore on the River Styx to never have children after World War II, so they didn't," Casey explained. "That's why Zeus and Poseidon's cabins are empty."

"Where's Hades's cabin at?" I questioned. I don't recall seeing that around.

Casey shrugged, "He doesn't have one, because he doesn't have a throne on Olympus. He visits during the winter solstice. He's the god of the Underworld and to everyone else, it's really creepy. I don't know what his cabin would look like if he had one here."

"So, they don't have any kids running around?" I asked.

"I think seventeen years ago, Zeus had a daughter named Thalia with some eighties starlet," Casey said. "Since the River Styx is very serious about promises, Zeus got off easy, but his daughter ended up getting a terrible fate in return."

"What happened?" I asked.

Casey looked at the pine tree on Half-Blood Hill. "Hades found out and sent monsters to attack her and some other demigods that she befriended along the way. When she was twelve, she sacrificed herself to fend off a horde of monsters. As she was dying, Zeus pitied her and turned her into that pine tree. That's why it's called Half-Blood Hill."

I felt nauseated and empty inside. A girl my age sacrificed herself to save her friends, while all I did was fight off a Minotaur with my brother. Our victory over the Minotaur was very pathetic compared to fighting off an entire army of monsters.

I stared forlornly into the campfire while everyone else sang about gods. It seemed like eyes weren't on me as often as they were. I looked around to find Eric talking to his brothers and I looked back into the campfire.

I wasn't entirely sure how much time passed with me staring in the flames, but they had soon turned to embers. I wondered who my father was. I didn't want him to be Ares, because I don't think I could handle being related to Clarisse and I wasn't as radiant like Apollo's kids, either.

The conch horn blew and we filed back to our cabins. I flopped down onto my sleeping bag.

I had the weird sense that I was home, but it didn't feel like home because Percy wasn't here and my mom wasn't going to tell Percy and I goodnight like she usually did over the summer when we were home. I don't think anywhere was going to feel like home without her.

"Goodnight, Aria," Casey said.

"Night, Casey," I replied, feeling guilty for letting my mom die.

I fell asleep, exhausted after the long day I had.


	8. This Isn't How You Play Capture the Flag

A/N: The face-claim for Alexandria Campbell is Becky G.

* * *

Chapter 8: **This Isn't How You Play Capture the Flag**

* * *

The next morning, I had to take Ancient Greek from Annabeth. We talked about the gods and goddesses in the present tense, which was weird because they were alive instead of dead or made up.

After that, I rotated through a few outdoor activities to figure out what I was good at. Chiron tried to teach me archery, but the first time, I was sure I nearly brought some helpless bird down. After that, I managed to get a hang of it, even though I wasn't hitting the bulls' eye like I wanted to. Maybe it was because the crossbow that I picked seemed to bulky for me.

Foot racing sucked because the wood-nymph instructors left me behind in their dust. It was embarrassing to be slower than a tree, but they told me that I shouldn't worry, because if I had love struck gods chasing after me, I would be as fast as them.

I had picked strawberries in the afternoon, but I didn't seem to have Dionysus's way with vine plants, compared to his sons, Castor and Pollux.

I couldn't bring myself to go anywhere near fire, and when I mustered up the courage; I sucked at metalwork compared to the Hephaestus's kids, so I wasn't one of his kids.

When I had to try my hand at wrestling, Clarisse literally rubbed my face in the wrestling mat, because she was enacting some sort of revenge for the lake incident yesterday. After five times of that, I decided to have a water break.

When I was sitting at the bench, holding a bottle of water, Eric came to stand next to me. He said, "Don't worry, I did that to her when she was undetermined at the time."

I stared at him, slightly confused because he was talking to me. I noticed that Clarisse was glaring at us. "Is that why she's death-glaring me?"

Eric looked over his shoulder and then back at him. "She's not that bad when you get to know her." He looked at his fingerless gloves and pulled at a thread.

"No offense, but I don't see us being friends anytime soon," I replied.

He shrugged, "I'm sure in time. Would you expect Clarisse and Silena to be good friends?"

"Who's Silena?" I asked confused.

"You'll meet her soon. She's in charge of the Pegasus stable," Eric said.

Clarisse was making some sort of gesture that I knew meant the water break was over.

"Time to get my face rubbed in the mat again, for the sixth time," I said, drinking the water and pouring a little on my hand and patting my face with my hand. I instantly felt better and didn't feel like I'm going to collapse from exhaustion.

I went back to the mat, ready to get my face rubbed in the mat by Clarisse. We locked up and somehow, I managed to get my arms around her waist. I picked her up and turned around, smashing her back first right into the mat. I started feeling tired, like I had used up the last of my strength just for doing that. Clarisse got up and proceeded to use the same move against me, except I ended up going down face-first.

"That's what you get for making a fool out of us," Clarisse whispered in my ear.

"Honestly? You don't need my help to make you look foolish. You can do that all on your own," I replied. Clarisse pressed my face in the sweat smelling mat even harder, in return.

* * *

After that, Casey, Eric, a Mexican girl named Alexandria Campbell, and I went canoe racing with some Apollo kids, in the evening. I later learned that Alexa was at the camp for two years. Alexa had brown hair and green eyes.

"So, what is your dad like?" I asked Casey, paddling to avoid hitting a rock.

"He's a lawyer," Casey said. "He's very successful."

"Do you think your dad knows who your mom is?" I asked.

"If he does, he never told me," Casey said. "What about your dad, Alexa?"

"He owns his own pizza joint," Alexa responded, sounding a little proud of him. "I doubt he knows my mom. I wish she would claim me already."

"There's always capture the flag," Eric responded. "That's how my dad claimed me."

"What does your mom do?" I asked him, curious.

"She works in the kitchen at jail where she currently resides at," he said in a monotone.

We all stopped paddling to look back at him.

"Well, okay then," Casey replied.

Alexa asked, "What did your mom do to go to jail?"

"Hey, aren't we in a race? We should paddle faster and beat those sunny kids' asses," Eric said quickly.

Using that as our motivation, we started paddling harder and trying to go faster. I was determined to beat them, even though we were far behind them. As if the water knew that I wanted to beat them, it seemed to propel us forward, knocking Casey, Alexa, and Eric back a little at the sudden jerk.

"Paddle faster and harder," I ordered. "We need to be in sync." It took a few minutes for us to finally paddle in sync, which seemed to propel us faster and ahead of the Apollo kids, beating them.

I know that canoeing was the least likely thing that people would expect someone who helped slay the Minotaur to excel at.

I was sure that the senior campers and counselors were keeping an eye on me, by trying to figure out who my dad was. I was sure that was why Eric tagged along on the canoe race. I was semi-good at archery, but I don't think I was going to be a daughter of Apollo, because of my black hair. I wasn't strong enough to be a daughter of Ares. I'm positive that I wasn't a child of Dionysus, because I was sure he would've claimed Percy and me if he was our dad.

"Who do you think your dad is?" Alexa asked me.

"I don't know," I replied, paddling back to the shore.

"You could be a child of Hermes. You know, jack-of-all-trades, master of none, type of thing," Casey pointed out.

"I don't like to steal," I said.

"Hey, what is your mom like?" Alexa asked me.

"She works…" I choked back tears, "Worked at a candy shop in Grand Central Station." I wiped my eyes quickly, trying not to shed anymore tears. I didn't want to be known as the girl who cries at camp. I especially didn't want to cry in front of Eric, who would probably laugh about it with his siblings, making me feel even more pathetic that I already felt.

We finally made it to the shore, when I spotted Annabeth and Percy talking on the pier. I clambered my way out of the canoe, almost face-planting in the sand in my haste to get to Percy.

I ran over to the pier and hugged Percy pretty tightly. I was sure that he was embarrassed at the public display of affection, but I didn't care.

"I have _so_ much to tell you," I told him, excited.

"You smell like sweat," Percy said in return, awkwardly patting me on the back.

I released him and I noticed that Annabeth was soaking wet. "Uh…what happened to you?"

"Your brother," Annabeth replied darkly.

"I'll tell you on our way to cabin eleven," Percy said after saying bye to Annabeth, we both made our way to cabin eleven.

Percy told me about how he sprayed Clarisse and her sisters with toilet water, the stream being so strong that it pushed them out of the bathrooms. Annabeth hadn't been spared, but somehow Percy was.

I told him about how Clarisse and her sisters tried to throw me in the lake, but I didn't get wet when I had climbed out.

Percy told me that Annabeth was a year-rounder and that they got to visit Olympus, which was the sixth hundredth floor of the Empire State Building. Apparently something important was stolen on their visit and if it didn't return by the summer solstice, there was going to be trouble. He told me that Annabeth thought that the three of us could work together, because she thought we knew something. He told me that we couldn't just walk out of camp unless we had permission or had been granted a quest which was closed off.

I told him about my two days and about my short-lived victory over Clarisse during wrestling, which we laughed at.

Percy's stomach growled and I couldn't help but laugh.

We went inside cabin eleven to see that everyone was again talking and rough-housing. I introduced him to Alexa and Casey. After that, I went to my spot on the floor where my pink sleeping bag resided. Percy sat next to me.

"Luke said that this is my spot," Percy muttered, pointing at it.

Luke walked up to Percy, "here you go. I found you a sleeping bag and I stole you some toiletries from the camp store."

"Thanks," Percy said, taking the items.

"No prob," Luke said.

"You ever meet your dad?" Percy asked.

"Once," Luke replied.

I waited, wondering if he was going to say anymore, but he didn't.

"Who was that guy that you were in the canoe with?" Percy asked, sounding a little suspicious. It sounded like Eric was next on his list of creatures to slay.

"That's Eric, a son of Ares," I responded.

Percy gave me a weird look and set up his sleeping bag next to mine. He put the Minotaur horn down.

"What if we can't rescue Mom?" I asked.

"We will," Percy said.

"I hope so, because I don't want to live with Ugly Gabe. I'd rather join a circus than live with him," I said.

"I'd rather live on the streets than live with him," Percy said.

The conch horn blew in the distance.

"Was that a conch shell?" Percy asked and I nodded. I knew that Percy didn't know what a conch shell sounded like, so how did we know what it was?

"Eleven, fall in!" Luke shouted once more and we lined in order of seniority.

I stood in front of Percy as we went to the dining pavilion. "I think they're going to have to bring you a chair because I could barely sit on the bench," I told him.

We got to cabin eleven's table and someone had brought out a stone chair, vines entwining the stone arms.

"I'll switch you," Percy said to me.

"Order of seniority," I told him. "You have to sit there."

"I'm older than you," Percy said.

"So?" I replied.

Percy ended up sitting in the stone chair, while half of my butt was off the bench. Percy's face was red and I was sure that the others were openly staring at the chair.

Chiron pounded his hoof against the marble floor of the pavilion and everyone fell silent. He raised a glass, "To the gods!"

I grabbed my glass and held it up; Percy copying everybody else. "To the gods!" This time, Percy was the one who nearly finished at the last second. I think I heard a few snickers from the Ares cabin.

The wood nymphs came forward with platters of food.

"Watch this," I told Percy and spoke to my glass, "Blue Dr Pepper." The blue soda appeared in my glass. "It's anything you want, as long as it's not alcoholic."

"Cherry Coke," Percy said to his glass.

The glass filled with a sparkling caramel liquid, " _Blue_ Cherry Coke." The soda turned cobalt blue.

Percy took a cautious sip.

"What's with you two and blue soda?" Casesy asked me, sounding confused as she passed me a platter of food.

I couldn't answer her as she stood up to offer her food to the gods.

"Come on," Luke told Percy.

We gathered our plates and went to the fire.

"Hermes," Luke said tossing in some more grapes.

I scrapped off some strawberries this time. _Who are you, dad?_ I thought as Percy scrapped off a piece of his brisket.

We went back to the table and started to eat.

"I think the farmhouse is haunted," Percy told me.

"What?" I asked.

"I saw something move in one of the windows," Percy told me. "Chiron told me that it was no one."

"Huh," I muttered. "That's weird. What's living in the farmhouse, Chiron and Mr. D?"

"Grover's twenty-eight years old," Percy told me as I took a drink from my soda.

I nearly spat it out in shock. "Twenty-eight? I can't believe he passed himself off as a sixth grader." Although, looking back on it, he did have acne and the start of a wispy goatee, but I assumed he had been held back. I guess that saying is true, 'never assume, because when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me.'

"Apparently satyrs mature slowly than average humans," Percy said. "He's been twenty-eight for six years."

"I don't want to think about it," I said, shuddering. "Imagine the hell of going through middle school continuously."

* * *

After we finished eating, Chiron pounded his hoof for our attention again.

"Yes, I suppose I'd better say hello to all you brats. Well, hello. Our activities director, Chiron, says the next capture the flag is Friday. Cabin five presently holds the laurels," Mr. D stated, which got cheers from cabin five. "Personally, I couldn't care less, but congratulations. Also, I should tell you that we have a new camper today. Peter Johnson," Mr. D said in a bored tone. Chiron whispered something to him. "Er, Percy Jackson. That's right. Hurrah, and all that. Now go to your silly campfire. Go on."

I couldn't help but cheer and we headed down toward the amphitheater.

"Did he just call me Peter Johnson?" Percy asked.

"Yesterday he called me Alyssa Jamison," I said.

At the campfire, Apollo's cabin led a sing-along as we ate s'mores.

"So, I don't have any idea who our dad could be," I told Percy. "Do you have an idea who our dad is, Dear Brother?"

"No," Percy said, "I don't know either, Sweet Sister."

I sighed, "I didn't have time to think about it, yet."

* * *

Over the next few days, we seemed to have settled into a normal routine. We took lessons from satyrs, nymphs, and a centaur.

Again, we took Ancient Greek from Annabeth, we took archery lessons from Chiron. I still sucked at it, but at least I didn't send an arrow into his tail, like Percy did. At least I was beginning to hit the board surrounding the target though.

It turned out that Percy was slower at running than me, during foot racing. Clarisse seemed to hate Percy more than me, because she would pulverize him on the mat.

We both were evenly matched at canoeing. However, I was sure that the senior campers and counselors were now watching the both of us.

Percy sucked at metalwork as well. Luke told us that we could be jack-of-all-trades, master of none. We both got the feeling he was trying to make us feel better, but we sure that he didn't know what to make of us, either.

Despite all that, we liked the camp. I like the morning fog over the beach, the smell of hot strawberries in the fields, and I got used to the weird noises the monsters were making in the woods at night.

We didn't have time to plan our rescue to the Underworld to get our mother out.

I couldn't understand Luke's bitterness over the gods. At least his father cared enough to claim him, unlike our dad. When I pointed it out, Percy told me that it was because the gods didn't actually talk to us or find a way to communicate with us. I could understand that part. Whoever our dad was, he wasn't responding.

* * *

On Thursday afternoon, we had our first sword-fighting lesson with Luke. Everyone from cabin eleven gathered in the circular arena where Luke was our instructor.

We started with basic stabbing and slashing, using some straw-stuffed dummies that was in Greek armor.

I was sure that I did okay, because at least I understood what I was supposed to do and my reflexes happened to be good.

I couldn't seem to find a sword that felt right because it was like they were too heavy, too light, or too long. Percy had felt the same way and Luke tried his best to give us practice swords, but he agreed that none of them seemed to work for us.

After that, we moved on to dueling in pairs and Luke announced he would be Percy's partner because it was his first time dueling. Even though it was my first time as well, but Casey promised to go easy on me.

"Good luck," Alexa said to Percy, grinning. "Luke's the best swordsman in the last three hundred years."

"Maybe he'll go easy on me," Percy replied.

Alexa snorted and Percy went over to Luke.

I looked at Alexa, "Really? Luke's the best swordsman?"

"Yeah," Alexa said.

I watched Luke show Percy thrusts, parries, and shield blocks, but for some reason, it looked like Percy was learning the hard way. Luke whacked Percy in the ribs with the flat of his blade. He said something, but then whacked Percy in the ribs again. He said something again and Percy got whacked in the ribs, and then that happened once more.

For some reason, in the torch-light of the arena, Luke looked a little sinister with the way he was angled in the light. I blinked and told myself that it was just the lighting that made him look like that. Besides, if I was in his place, I would've looked sinister too.

Casey did at least go on easy and demonstrated a disarming maneuver, however I just couldn't get the hang of that either.

After a few minutes of practicing, Luke yelled, "Let's have a break!"

"Don't worry, we'll get the hang of it," I told a very sweaty Percy. "We're still new here, after all. We'll get the hang of it, eventually. Who knows, maybe you might be better with a sword than me."

"Maybe," Percy said. "You seemed to get the hang off the crossbow better than me."

"I suppose," I replied. "I'm actually hitting the board." I was going to tell him about how sinister Luke had looked, but I was sidetracked with Luke pouring ice water over his head. Percy ended up doing the same thing. It sprung to my mind memories of guys using the water fountains to wet their faces during hot days, when I was younger.

I couldn't help but notice how Percy seemed to instantly spring back to life. His face didn't seem as red as it was earlier, he wasn't panting as much from exhaustion. I splashed my face with some water and felt like I wasn't going to collapse anytime soon.

"Okay, everybody, circle up!" Luke ordered, "If Percy doesn't mind, I want to give you a little demo."

We gathered around and I noticed how the Hermes guys looked like they were suppressing smiles, as if they knew what Luke was going to do. Was this some sort of plan to humiliate Percy?

"Now, this is a disarming technique," Luke told us. "You use the flat of your sword to twist your opponents' wrist so they end up dropping their sword. This is difficult. I've had it used against me." He seemed to have notice the smiles or smirks from the others. "No laughing at Percy, now. Most swordsmen have to work years to master this technique."

He proceeded to show us the move in slow-motion, making sure all of us can see it being used. The sword clanged out of Percy's hand.

Percy picked up his sword.

"Now," Luke said, "In real time. We keep sparring until one of us pulls it off."

I thought he said it took years to master. I know that Luke was going to win, because he had years of training ahead of Percy. Couldn't he have sparred with someone else with the same amount of training?

To Alexa, I asked, "Isn't this a bit unfair?"

"Yes, but we have to get you two up to speed," Alexa said as she watched Luke and Percy's sword fight.

Percy countered Luke's disarming technique, and tried thrusting his sword at Luke, but Luke deflected it. Luke seemed to come at Percy with more force and I noticed that Percy seemed to slow down. Luke would win. Percy hit Luke's sword at the base and twisted it. Percy seemed to put his weight into sending Luke's sword clanging out of his hand. Percy had his sword pointed at Luke's chest.

I was the only one who clapped at Percy beating him. I stopped instantly.

Percy looked sheepish, "Um, sorry?"

"'Sorry?'" Luke repeated, grinning. "By the gods, Percy, why are you sorry? Show me that again!"

They demonstrated again, but Luke caused Percy's sword to fall out of his hand when Luke did the disarming technique.

Alexa asked, "Beginner's luck?"

I wanted to elbow her in the ribs, but I was sure that's what it was too.

Luke wiped his face and eyed Percy, he said, "Maybe, but I wonder what Percy can do with a balanced sword…"

 _Oh, so the sword was purposely unbalanced?_ I thought. I was sure that they would say that they needed to train with balanced or unbalanced swords because they needed a weapon whenever a monster attacks.

* * *

Friday afternoon, Percy and I were sitting on a pier at the lake with Grover, after doing the rock climbing wall. Percy had holes in his shirt and his arm hairs had been singed off from the lava. One of my pant legs had been ripped clean off, making me look like I was wearing half denim shorts and half pants, which just made me look obnoxious. The tips of my hair had been burnt because I refused to tie my hair back like I had been instructed to do, because I hate having my hair pulled back. Grover had scampered to the top like he was a mountain goat instead of a satyr.

I was busy doing a bit of cross stitching when I heard Percy ask, "How had your conversation gone with Mr. D?"

I looked up in time to see Grover's face turn a sick shade of yellow. He responded, "Fine. Just great."

"So your career's still on track?" Percy asked.

I wanted to point out that Grover was most likely being sarcastic. Grover stuttered, "Chiron t-told you I want a searcher's license?"

I asked, "What's a searcher's license?"

"Well…no," Percy responded at the same time I did. He continued, "He just said you had big plans, you know…and that you need credit for completing a keeper's assignment. So did you get it?"

Grover looked down, "Mr. D suspended judgment. He said I hadn't failed or succeeded with you both yet, so our fates were still tied together. If you either of you two get a quest and I went along to protect you, and we came back alive, then maybe he'd consider the job complete."

I felt elated at that, "Cheer up, that doesn't sound terrible, really." Percy nodded.

" _Blaa-ha-ha_! He might as well have transferred me to stable-cleaning duty. The chances of you two getting a quest…and even if you did, why would you want me along?"

"Of course we'd want you along!" Percy countered.

"Come on, don't put yourself down like that," I said.

Grover stared my aida cloth bitterly and stared into the lake looking glum. He muttered, "cross stitching…basket-weaving…Must be nice to have a useful skill."

"I'm sure you have plenty of talents," I said.

"Yeah, loads," Percy said. "Your skill at the rock-climbing wall…"

"I'm a satyr, we all can do that," Grover muttered sounding miserable.

"You can man a canoe pretty well," I said. That resulted in them talking about canoeing and swordplay for a while, but the talk shifted to the pros and cons on the different gods. After talk of that, Percy asked about the four different cabins.

"Number eight has to be for Artemis," I said. "She doesn't have any kids, so it has to be empty. The blinding one is for Apollo."

Grover nodded. "The cabin is, you know, honorary. If she didn't have one, she'd be mad."

"Okay, so the other three, the ones at the end," Percy said, "Are those for the Big Three?"

I thought about it, "Casey said that Hades doesn't have a cabin here."

Grover nodded again, "Right. Number two is Hera's. That's another honorary thing. She's the goddess of marriage, so of course she wouldn't go around having affairs with mortals. That's her husband's job. When we say the Big Three, we mean, the three powerful brothers, the sons of Kornos."

"Zeus, Posedion, Hades," Percy added.

"Right, you know, after the great battle with the Titans, they took over the world from their dad and drew lots to decide who got what," Grover explained.

"Zeus ended up with the sky, Posedion got the sea, and Hades ended up with the Underworld," I said, remembering that lesson.

"Uh-huh," Grover said.

"But Hades doesn't even have a cabin," Percy pointed out, as if he hadn't heard me earlier.

"He doesn't have a throne of Olympus, either. He sort of does his own thing down in the Underworld. If did have a cabin here…" Grover shuddered, "Well, it wouldn't be pleasant. Let's leave it at that."

"Aria's unpleasant, yet she was allowed in," Percy replied, giving me a grin.

I leaned down and splashed water at Percy. Percy splashed me back and I laughed. I set my cross stitch pattern to the side and splashed Percy with two hands. Percy splashed me back with both hands. It felt like it was a while since I had a good laugh.

Casey and Alexa ran up to us. Casey asked, "Do you want to go on one last canoe ride before dinner?"

"Sure," I said, and got up.

"Traitor!" Percy jokingly shouted at me as I hurried over to my…acquaintances? Friends? I'm not entirely sure if I should consider them my friends, considering my luck.

I hurried over to them.

"What are you guys discussing?" Casey asked, looking intrigued.

"Just the first three cabins," I replied.

We pushed a canoe into the lake and clambered inside.

"I need to figure out how to sit out Capture the Flag," Casey muttered, looking at the water.

"Me too," Alexa said, wringing her hands.

I was momentarily thrown at how Casey wanted to sit out Capture the Flag. From when I first met her, she talked about how she wished she had my opportunity to fight the Minotaur. Alexa seemed too eager when she was sword-fighting and doing archery, but here, she wanted to sit out of Capture the Flag, too?

"Uh…aren't you two supposed to be excited for Capture the Flag?" I asked.

They shook their heads.

"Um…we're…pacifists…" Alexa said.

"Don't tell anyone that, or we'll get laughed out of the camp and then we'll end up having to fight real monsters," Casey said, crossing her arms and death glaring me.

For a pacifist, it seemed like she wanted to push me into the lake to try and drown me.

"I won't," I said. It was considered rude to tell other people someone's secrets, especially if they trusted you enough to tell them. "So, to get out of Capture the Flag…maybe you two can suffer a rock climbing wall incident…"

They looked horrified at that.

"A very minor accident," I stated. That wouldn't work. "Maybe you guys can hide out in the forest when we get in there."

"But there's monsters in there," Alex said.

"Honestly? How did you two survive this camp?" I asked.

I never really did learn how they did.

* * *

When Percy and I got in our seats for dinner, Percy whispered to me, "Grover said that the Underworld exists."

I winced, remembering when I had met Mr. D, "Oh, yeah." There was so much going on that I didn't even have time to tell him that. "I forgot to mention it to you." _Please don't be angry. Please don't be angry. Please don't be angry. Please don't—_

"Oh, yeah, Grover did say that you asked the same thing I did," Percy said.

At least he wasn't mad as I got up to go scrape food off. "Where is the entrance to the Underworld even located? How are we supposed to get there?"

"You asked some good questions," Percy replied. "We'll just have to…wiggle answers out of everybody without them noticing."

"Maybe I can have a near-death experience and see if I can somehow visit the Underworld, and find her," I replied.

"I think that only works when you're dead," Percy said.

"Damn," I muttered. "It was worth a thought."

Percy nodded, "Yeah. Just keeping thinking of ways to get there, or ask your friends if they know. I think Alexa knows since she's been here for two years."

"I'll try to get information out of her, but not make it obvious," I replied.

* * *

After the plates had been cleared away, the conch horn sounded and we all stood up at our tables.

Annabeth and two of her siblings ran into the pavilion carrying a ten foot long, glistening gray banner that had a painting of a barn owl above an olive tree. There were cheers and yells.

Clarisse and her siblings ran in with a ten foot long banner, but it was gaudy red, that had a painting of a bloody spear and a boar's head. It looked like Eric Crowe was very proud of the crude-looking flag.

I heard Percy yell, "Those are the flags?"

"Yeah," Luke replied.

"Ares and Athena always lead the teams?" Percy asked.

"Not always, but often," Luke replied.

"Why? How come they always lead?" I asked, confused.

"Hard to explain right now," Luke replied.

"So, if another cabin captures one, what do you do—repaint the flag?" Percy asked.

Luke grinned, "You'll see. First we have to get one?"

"Whose side are we on?" Percy asked.

Luke gave a sly grin, as if he knew something we didn't. The torchlight made the scar on his face looked nearly evil. "We've made a temporary alliance with Athena. Tonight, we get the flag from Ares? And _you_ two are going to help."

It was announced that Athena had made an alliance with Apollo and Hermes, the two biggest cabins. In order to get support, privileges had been traded—shower times, chore schedules, the best slots for activities.

Dionysus, Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hephaestus had allied themselves with Ares.

Dionysus's kids were good athletes, but there were only two of them. Demeter's kids had nature skills and outdoor stuff on their side, but I know that they're not that aggressive. Aphrodite's kids sat out on activities and tried to look pretty.

Hephaestus had four big, burly, factory-working kids, who seemed to be a problem.

There was a dozen kids from Ares. They were bigger and meaner. They made Nancy Bobofit and her friends look like harmless Chihuahuas.

Chiron hammered his hoof on the marble. He announced, "Heroes! You know the rules. The creek is the boundary line. The entire forest is fair game. All magic items are allowed. The banner must be prominently displayed, and have no more than two guards. Prisoners may be disarmed, but may not be bound or gagged. No killing or maiming is allowed.

"I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. Arm yourselves!" He spread his hands and the tables were suddenly covered with equipment: helmets, bronze swords, spears, oxhide shields coated in metal, and a crossbow with a belt of carbon-fiber bolts (celestial bronze could seriously injure us). I grabbed the crossbow and belt before someone else can. The crossbow felt bulky and awkward in my hands, but I'd rather attack my targets from a distance than up close and personal.

Percy gave me a look. "What?" I asked as I wrapped the belt around my waist.

Percy looked at Luke. "We're really supposed to use these?"

Luke looked at Percy as if Percy gave him a deep, philosophical lecture on the unhealthiness of underwear. "Unless you want to get skewered by your friends in cabin five. Here—Chiron thought these would fit. You two are going to be on border patrol." He handed Percy a NBA backboard sized shield. The shield had a big caduceus in the middle. It looked heavy and I was sure that Percy and I both can use the shield has a sled. Luke handed me a breastplate armor thing, which Percy helped me put on.

I noticed a rust colored splat on it. "Is that _blood_?" I asked shrilly.

Luke didn't answer me as he handed Percy and me helmets that had blue horsehair plumes. Ares and their allies had red plumes.

I looked at Percy and snickered, "You look ridiculous." He wasn't amused.

Annabeth yelled, "Blue team, forward!" We rushed forward, catching up with Annabeth.

"So what's the plan? Got any magic items you can loan us?" Percy asked.

"Just watch Clarisse's spear. You don't want that thing touching either of you. Otherwise, don't worry. We'll take the banner from Ares. Has Luke given you two your jobs?"

I was immediately suspicious.

"Border patrol, whatever that means," Percy answered.

"It's easy. Stand by the creek, keep the reds away. Leave the rest to me. Athena always has a plan," Annebeth said and pushed ahead.

"Okay, glad you wanted us on your team," Percy muttered.

"She seems so high-and-mighty, huh?" I replied as I loaded up a crossbow.

"Don't point that thing at me," Percy replied walking out of range.

It was a kind of gross night, warm and sticky. The woods were dark with fireflies popping in and out of view. Annabeth stationed Percy next to a little creek that gurgled over some rocks, and stationed me further down and farther into the forest. I was sure that if I yelled at Percy, he would barely hear me.

Standing by the creek in a big blue-feathered helmet, breastplate armor, and a crossbow that was to big and bulky for my hands, I felt stupid and pathetic. I was sure Percy felt the same way with his sword and shield.

There was no way that no one would attack me, right? I could've sworn I heard a growl for somewhere within, which made me straighten up. If no one attacked me, whatever was in the woods would.

Distantly, the conch horn blew. I would've missed it if I didn't hear whoops and yells in the woods, clanking of metal, and kids fighting.

Someone ran up and I held up my crossbow and pulled the trigger. A bolt hit the tree near Luke and he held up his hands in surrender. He studied me as if I was some sort of threat, but he rushed on.

"Sorry!" I yelled after him as I knocked another bolt. I was feeling bitter, because I was going to miss all the fun. I was angry at Annabeth and Luke for stationing me here. For a moment, I was glad that I nearly hit Luke with a bolt. I—

Heard a growl coming from somewhere in the surrounding trees, again. It made the hair rise on my arms. I tried searching for the sound, but I couldn't see what it was.

I held up my crossbow and then noticed lava-red eyes peering at me between the trees. It lunged at me. I held up my crossbow and fired off another bolt. It hit the giant, rhino-sized black hound in the chest, but it was unfazed. I stumbled back into the creek and sidestepped it, as I loaded another bolt. I fired off another bolt as quickly as possible. It hit the hound in the side and it leapt at me once more. I threw up my arm to protect my face and I swear a giant wall of water flew up and slapped the hound sideways right into the trees.

I didn't waste time, because I hauled my ass down the creek to find Chiron to get help.

I ran into Percy, who was looking exhausted and beat up. There was five Ares kids on the ground, looking like _Percy_ had beaten _them_ up. Percy looked at me, "Are you—?"

There was yelling, happy screams. Luke was racing toward the boundary line with the red team's banned lifted high. There was a couple of Hermes campers flanking him, covering a retreat. A few Apollo kids were behind them, fighting off the Hephaestus kids.

The Ares kids got up.

"A trick!" shouted Clarisses. "It was a trick!"

They staggered after Luke, but it was too late. Everybody was converging on the creek as Luke ran into friendly territory.

The blue team exploded in cheers and the red banner shimmered, turning to silver. The boar and spear turned into a huge caduceus, which was cabin eleven's symbol. The blue team picked Luke up and started carrying him on their shoulders.

Chiron cantered out of the woods and blew the conch horn. I stepped out of the creek and immediately felt exhausted. I needed to get to him, "Sir!"

"Not bad, hero," Annabeth's voice said, sounding like it came from beside Percy. "Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?"

Annabeth appeared, holding a Yankees baseball cap.

"You set us up," Percy accused. "You put us by the creek because you knew Clarissa would come after one of us, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out."

I went up to Chiron while Percy and Annnabeth bantered.

"No. It _was_ a sword cut. Look at it," Annabeth said.

I went back to go see what it was. Maybe the hound was all part of the game and I was freaking out over nothing.

"Step out of the water, Percy," Annabeth ordered.

Percy started, "What—?"

"Just do it," Annabeth interrupted.

Percy stepped out of the creek and almost fell over. Annabeth and I were there to steady him. I had to step into the creek to make sure that Percy didn't fall backwards and bust his head open on a rock or something.

"Oh, Styx," Annabeth muttered. "This is _not_ good. I didn't want…I assumed it would be Zeus…"

There was growling noise and a howl,

Chiron ordered, _"Stand ready! My bow_! _"_

I knocked another bolt and aimed the crossbow at the beast. I angered that beast. It was looking at either Percy or me.

"Percy! Aria! Run!" Annabeth yelled, trying to step in front of Percy.

The beast leapt over Annabeth and knocked Percy to the side. Inhumanly fast, I fired a series of bolts into the beast's underbelly, right as there was thwacking sounds. The monster fell dead at Percy's feet.

There was a cluster of arrows sprouting from the hound's neck and bolts from the beast's underbelly.

I went to check on Percy, who was bleeding from his chest.

Chiron trotted up next to us, a bow in his hand, and he was looking grim.

" _Di immortales!_ " Annabeth said. "That's a hellhound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't…they're not supposed to…"

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said, "Someone inside the camp."

Luke came over, holding banner, apparently forgetting his moment of glory.

"It's all Percy's and Aria's fault! They summoned it!" Clarisse shouted, pointing at us.

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

The hellhound melted into shadow, soaking into the ground, disappearing from sight.

"You're wounded," Annabeth said. "Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay," Percy replied.

"You're not!" I snapped, "get in the damn water!"

"Chiron, watch this," Annabeth said.

I helped Percy as he got in the creek, as the whole camp seemed to gather around us.

The cuts on Percy's chest was closing up, but there was a green light spinning and gleaming right above Percy's head. It looked like a three-tipped spear, which was a trident. I gasped at that.

"Look, I—I don't know why," Percy started, "I'm sorry…"

"Don't…" I started, speaking over Annabeth, who was pointing. She pointed above my head.

I looked up to see a hologram of a trident above me.

"Your father," Annabeth murmured. "This is _really_ not good."

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

I looked around to see the campers started kneeling. The Ares cabin even knelt, though they didn't look happy about it. Eric looked impassive and stoic about it.

Percy looked bewildered, "Our father?"

"Poseidon," said Chiron, "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail Perseus and Ariadne Jackson, Children of the Sea God."


	9. I Talk My Way onto a Quest

Chapter 9: **I Talk My Way onto a Quest**

* * *

The next morning, Chiron moved Percy and me to cabin three. Since it was the two of us, there was plenty of room for our stuff.

I had my messenger bag, one set of spare clothes, and a toiletries bag. Percy had his Minotaur horn, one set of spare clothes, and his toiletries bag.

I chose the right side of the cabin as my area while Percy took the left side, right when you enter. I had chosen to sleep on the top bunk, because I always wanted a bunk bed and have the top bunk.

It was kind of miserable, because when I thought I was finally fitting in with cabin eleven, I got abruptly removed from it. I felt bad for Alexa, who had been here for two years and hadn't even been claimed yet and then there was Casey, who had been here for five months and still nothing. Then there were all the other unclaimed campers…

I still talked to Alexa and Casey, because they were my friends. They didn't even bring up the hellhound, but I think they talked about it when I wasn't around.

Percy and I got to sit at our own table, picked and argued over our activities, and Percy called "lights out" whenever he wanted. He claimed that because he was older, he was the counselor and I was the co-counselor.

The hellhound attack seemed to have scared everyone, because it sent two messages:

One: Percy and I were the children of the Sea God.

Two: Monsters would stop at nothing to kill us, because they could invade a camp that had been considered safe.

There was the third one that set me on edge; no one seemed to talk about it.

Three: Someone inside the camp had to have let the hellhound in.

The other campers steered clear of us as much as possible. Cabin eleven was to nervous to have sword class with Percy out of fear of what happened to Ares's kids during Capture the Flag.

I ended up having two-on-one lessons with Alexa and Casey. They weren't terrified of me, so they tried to train me at sword fighting as best as they could, even if I sucked at it. Alexa had two years worth of training, so she was trying her best. Luke ended up giving Percy one-on-one lessons. From what I saw, Luke pushed Percy harder than ever and bruised him up in the process, because he wasn't afraid of Percy

I trained harder at the archery range, because I couldn't master any swords, no matter how hard I tried.

During archery lesson, an older Apollo girl, I think her name was Solana, must have gotten frustrated with me hitting the area around the target, because she threw down her bow and stomped off.

Percy seemed amused at that, "I didn't know that you were that terrible with a crossbow."

"I don't know why I was doing so well with it on Friday," I replied.

"That was because you were in water," Percy pointed out.

"Wow, I suck so bad that I need water to make me good," I replied.

"Join the club," Percy said, patting me on the shoulder.

At least I wasn't the only one that can do well in water.

"Must be a very small club," I replied.

"You can be co-leader," Percy said.

"Why am I the co-leader?" I asked.

"I'm older than you," Percy replied, giving me a cheeky grin.

See? Percy loves holding that fact over me.

Solana came back with a crossbow, which looked a little too small in her hands. She threw it at me. Strangely, the crossbow didn't seem clunky or big for my hands. It seemed to be just perfect.

"This is enchanted to turn into a bracelet," Solana said to me. "If you pull this cord…" She pulled the cord with her finger. The crossbow shrunk into a leather looking bracelet that had two layers on it. There was a bronze crossbow charm that was in a loop to keep the bracelet in place. "It turns into a bracelet. If you remove the charm from the loop, it turns into a crossbow. It's enchanted to be pulled over your hand and you can never lose it. If you happen to lose it, it'll appear on your wrist. It can shot celestial bronze bolts and carbon fiber bolts. The celestial bronze bolts only hurt monsters, not humans."

She removed the charm from the loop and the crossbow grew in my hands. She took it and knocked a bolt. "Here, try it out."

I looked at Percy, but he looked like he was feeling a little left out. Maybe it was because Solana didn't hand him a weapon. I put a bolt in the crossbow and took aim. I fired and to my surprise, the bolt almost hit the center. My mouth dropped and I looked at Percy, who seemed stunned at my almost hit.

Solana gave a small smile, "I knew that crossbow had the right owner out there."

I held the crossbow to Solana so she can put it up, who smiled more, which seemed to momentarily blind me. "No, keep it. It chose you as its owner." With that, she walked away because it was time for the next activity, which was Greek with Annabeth.

* * *

Greek lessons didn't turn out so well, because Annabeth seemed distracted. Every time Percy said something to her, she would scowl, as if Percy had tried to kick her ass. It was kind of infuriating at that, because I had no clue what her problem was.

* * *

Clarisse and her cabin kept their distance. Clarisse kept throwing Percy murderous glares because he broke her magic spear. The only exception was Eric, who apparently wasn't afraid of us. I kept worrying that he would get chased off by a horde of horses that was Poseidon's doing.

* * *

One night after dinner, we came back to find a mortal newspaper on the ground in our cabin. Percy and I had made a mad scramble for the newspaper, trying to wrestle it from each other. Percy won.

It took nearly an hour for Percy to read the newspaper because he was really angry. He couldn't speak but he threw the paper at me. I fumbled it, dropped it, and I picked it up. It was a page from the Metro, which had Percy and my pictures on it.

 **CHILDREN AND MOTHER STILL MISSING AFTER  
** **FREAK CAR ACCIDENT  
** BY: EILEEN SMYTH

 _Sally Jackson and twins Percy and Aria, are still missing one week after their mysterious disappearance. The family's badly burned '78 Camaro was discovered last Saturday on a north Long Island road with the roof ripped off and the front axle broken. The car had flipped and skidded for several hundred feet before exploding._

 _Mother and children had gone for a weekend vacation to Montauk, but left hastily, under mysterious circumstance. Small traces of blood were found in the car and near the scene of the wreck, but there were no other signs of the missing Jacksons. Residents in the rural area reported seeing nothing unusual around the time of the accident._

 _Ms. Jackson's husband, Gabe Ugliano, claims that his stepchildren, Percy and Aria Jackson, are troubled children who has been kicked out of numerous boarding schools and has expressed violent tendencies in the past._

 _Police would not say whether the twins are suspects in their mother's disappearance, but they have not ruled out foul play. Below are recent pictures of Sally Jackson, Percy, and Aria. Police urge anyone with information to call the following toll-free crime-stoppers hotline._

It took me a while for me to read because my hands were shaking as I kept rereading what Ugly Gabe said about Percy and me being violent children. The phone number was circled in black marker.

I crumpled the paper up and threw it across the cabin, hitting a wall. Percy had flopped onto the middle of his bed, looking miserable.

I paced the cabin, trying to figure out how this person got a hold of a mortal newspaper. Why is it Mr. D who seemed to hate us the most? Was it Clarisse trying to pull some sort of joke on us? Did she hate us that badly? I sat on my bed and marinated in my anger towards what Smelly Gabe said about us. I knew I should've dropped-kicked him through the apartment wall when we got home. I kept glancing at the newspaper and jumped down to throw it away.

I couldn't help but look at the newspaper again. I looked at my picture which was Yancy's school yearbook picture of me. I looked at Percy, "Hey. Do you think this picture kind of makes me look a little fat?"

"Your face is a little chubby," Percy said.

"Oh," I said looking down at my picture again. I was smiling widely in the picture, unknown of the mess that we were getting into.

"Light's out," Percy said.

* * *

That night, I had a terrible dream.

 _I was running along a beach in a storm. Percy was right beside me. I looked behind me, to see a different city. The buildings were spread a little farther apart; there were palm trees, and low hills._

 _Down the surf there were two muscular guys, wearing Greek tunics. One wore blue and the other was in green. They had long hair and beards. They were grappling with each other, kicked and head-butted. Every time there was a connection, lightning flashed, the sky grew darker, and the wind rose._

 _I knew I had to stop them, although I wasn't sure why I thought I had to, so I ran. However, the harder I tried to run, the harder the wind pushed me back. It was like running in quicksand, until it felt like I was running in place._

 _Over the roar of the storm, I could hear the man in the blue robes yelling,_ "Give it back! Give it back!" _It was sort of reminded me of the times Percy hide my cross stitch supplies as a joke and I got mad at him._

 _The waves got bigger, crashing into the beach, spraying me with salt._

"Stop it!" _I_ _heard Percy yell,_ "Stop fighting!"

 _The ground shook and laughter sounded like it came from under the earth._ "Come down, little heroes," _a deep and evil sounding voice said. It made me freeze._ "Come down!"

 _The ground split open beneath me, making me slip._

"Aria!" _shouted Percy._

 _I fell in darkness._

"Aria!" _Percy shouted again_ and I woke up in cabin three. I looked out the window, but it was dark outside and thunder was thundering. It looked like a storm was coming. There was a clopping sound at the door, a hoof knocking on the threshold.

I sat up, feeling a little sweaty. Percy was already up and halfway across the cabin, like he was going to see if I was still in bed and not falling in a pit of darkness.

"Come in?" said Percy, but it sounded like a question.

Grover trotted inside, looking worried. "Mr. D wants to see you two."

"Why?" asked Percy.

"He wants to kill…I mean, I'd better let him tell you," Grover said and slipped outside.

I got dressed in the bathroom and we followed Grover to the Big House.

I knew that Percy was half expecting a summons and now that we were declared to be the children of Poseidon, who wasn't supposed to have kids, he figured that it was a crime for us to even be alive. Just thinking that made me a little nervous, almost as nervous as when I fully looked at the sky, to see the smudginess of rain heading our way.

"Uh…" I started, trying to figure out how to ask my question.

"Do we need umbrellas?" Percy asked.

"No, it never rains here unless we want it to," Grover said.

"Then what is that?" I asked, pointing at the sky.

Grover looked at the sky. Unless it was my imagination, he looked highly unsettled, "It'll pass around us. Bad weather always does."

I did notice that it was always sunny, and a few rain clouds that I had noticed, seemed to go right around the edges of the valley. However, this storm seemed huge.

I noticed that the Apollo kids were playing a game of volleyball, yet they seemed to look up at the sky. Mr. D's twins were walking the strawberry fields, making the plants grow, yet they looked up every now and then, looking a little unsettled.

We walked up to the front porch of the Big House. Mr. D was at the pinochle table, in his tiger-stripped Hawaiian shirt and his Diet Coke can. Chiron sat across the table in his fake wheelchair. They were playing against invisible opponents because cards were hovering in the air.

"Well, well, our little celebrities," Mr. D said, without even looking up.

I stood still.

"Come closer, and don't expect me to kowtow you two mortals, just because old Barnacle-Beard is your father," Mr. D said.

Lightning flash across the clouds and thunder shook the windows of the house.

"Blah, blah, blah," Mr. D said.

Chiron's cards suddenly became interesting and Grover clopped his hooves.

"If I had my way, I would cause your molecules to erupt in flames. We'd sweep up the ashes and be done with a lot of trouble. But Chiron seems to feel this would be against my mission at this cursed camp: to keep you little brats safe from harm," Mr. D said.

"Spontaneous combustion _is_ a form of harm, Mr. D," Chiron pointed out.

I nodded in agreement.

"Nonsense, they wouldn't feel a thing," Mr. D responded. "Nevertheless, I've agreed to restrain myself." He looked at Percy and me, "I'm thinking of turning you two into dolphins instead, sending you back to your father."

Chiron started, "Mr. D—"

"Oh, all right," Mr. D said, sighing. "There's one more option. But it's deadly foolishness."

I looked at Percy, confused. Mr. D stood up and the cards in the air dropped onto the table. "I'm off to Olympus for the emergency meeting. If they're still here when I get back, I'll turn them into Atlantic bottlenoses. Do you understand? Perseus and Ariadne Jackson, if you're both smart, you'll see that's a much more sensible choice than what Chiron feels you must do." He picked up a playing card, twisted it, making it into a credit card. On closer inspection, it looked like a security pass. He snapped and the air seemed to fold and bend around him. He seemed to become a hologram, then wind, and he was gone. It smelt like fresh-pressed grapes.

Chiron gave us a tired and strained looking smile. "Sit, Percy and Aria, please. And Grover."

We sat down and Chiron laid his cards down. It looked like he won, but he hadn't even gotten to use it.

"Tell me, Percy and Aria. What did you make of the hellhound?" Chiron asked.

Just hearing it be called 'hellhound' was enough to make me and Percy shudder.

I don't know what Chiron expected me to say. What was I supposed to say? _Pfft. I wrestle hellhounds every day in the early morning hours._ I figured the truth would be better than lying.

"It was terrifying when it tried to attack me," I said. "I don't know how I even made it out alive."

"It scared me," Percy answered. "If you and Aria hadn't shot it, I'd be dead."

"You'll meet worse, Percy and Aria. Far worse, before you're done," Chiron said. Was he seriously trying to sound cryptic?

"What do you mean by 'done?'" I asked.

"Done…with what?" asked Percy.

"Your quest, of course," Chiron said. "Will either of you accept it?"

I was confused. Why did he expect us to accept it since we don't know the details?

"Um, sir," Percy said, "you haven't told us what it is yet."

I was glad that he caught it.

Chiron grimaced. "Well, that's the hard part, the details."

Thunder boomed and I turned to look at the sky. The storm had reached the edge of the beach. It kind of looked like the sky and sea were meeting.

"Poseidon and Zeus," Percy said. "They're fighting over something valuable…something that was stolen, aren't they?"

I looked back to see Chiron and Grover look at each other.

Chiron leaned forward. "How did you know that?"

Percy's face turned red and I played with my jacket.

"The weather since Christmas has been weird, like the sea and sky are fighting," Percy explained, "Then I talked to Annabeth and she'd overheard something about a theft. And…I've also been having these dreams."

"Me too," I muttered.

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Hush, satyr," Chiron said.

"But it's their quest!" Grover's eyes were bright with excitement. "It must be!"

"Only the Oracle can determine," Chiron said, stroking his beard. "Nevertheless, Percy, Aria, you are correct. Your father and Zeus are having their worst quarrel in centuries. They are fighting over something valuable that was stolen. To be precise: a lightning bolt."

Percy laughed nervously and I stared at Chiron. Surely he was pulling our legs. "A _what?_ "

"Do not take this lightly," Chiron warned. "I'm not talking about some tinfoil-covered zigzag you'd see in a second-grade play. I'm talking about a two-foot-long cylinder of high-grade celestial bronze, capped on both ends with god-level explosives."

"Oh," Percy and I added dumbly.

"Zeus's master bolt," Chiron said. "The symbol of his power, from which all other lightning bolts are patterned. The first weapon made by the Cyclopes for the war against the Titans, the bolt that sheered the top off Mount Etna and hurled Kronos from throne; the master bolt, which packs enough power to make mortal hydrogen bombs look like firecrackers."

Damn. That was bad.

"And it's missing?" Percy asked.

"No, someone borrowed it without asking," I told him sarcastically.

"Stolen," Chiron clarified.

Percy asked, "By who?"

"By _whom_ ," Chiron corrected, "By you two."

Percy's mouth opened. I sputtered, "H-how can—?"

"At least," Chiron said, holding up his hand, "That's what Zeus thinks. During the winter solstice, at the last council of the gods, Zeus and Poseidon had an argument. The usual nonsense, ' _Mother Rhea always liked you best,_ ' ' _Air disasters are more spectacular than sea disasters_ ,' et cetera. Afterward, Zeus realized his master bolt was missing, take from the throne room under his very nose. He immediately blamed Poseidon. Now, a god cannot usurp another god's symbol of power directly—that is forbidden by the most ancient of divine laws. But Zeus believes your father convinced a hero to take it."

I spoke, "We couldn't have—'

At the same time as I spoke Percy said, "But we didn't—"

"Patience and listen, children," Chiron said. "Zeus has good reason to be suspicious."

"This better make sense," I muttered.

"The forges of the Cyclopes are under the ocean, which gives Poseidon some influence over the makers of his brother's lightning. Zeus believe Poseidon has taken the master bolt, and is now secretly having the Cyclopes build an arsenal of illegal copies, which might be used to topple Zeus from his throne. The only thing Zeus wasn't sure about was which hero Poseidon used to steal the bolt. Now Poseidon has openly claimed you two as his children. You both were in New York over the winter holidays. You two could have easily snuck into Olympus. Zeus believes he has found his thieves."

"But we've never ever been to Olympus! Zeus is crazy!" Percy shouted angrily.

I glanced nervously at the sky, feeling unsettled over that statement. The clouds didn't look like they were parting to go around the camp like Grover had said they would. The clouds were coming over us.

"Er, Percy…?" Grover started. "We don't use the _c_ -word to describe the Lord of the Sky"

 _Note to self:_ _Never call Zeus crazy or insane, or any mental degradations unless I want to be eating lightning bolts for breakfast._

"Perhaps _paranoid_ ," Chiron suggested. "Then again, Poseidon has tried to unseat Zeus before. I believe that was question thirty-eight on your final exam…" He looked at us.

I tried to remember question thirty-eight but I couldn't remember if it was something about a golden net or something about running water. Maybe it was something about a golden net. I said, "There was something about a golden net."

"Poseidon, Hera, and a few other gods…they, like, trapped Zeus and wouldn't let him out until he promised to be a better rules, right?" said Percy.

"Correct," said Chiron. "And Zeus has never trusted Poseidon since. Of course, Poseidon denies stealing the master bolt. He took great offense at the accusation. They two have been arguing back and forth for months, threatening war. Now that you two came along—it was the proverbial last straw."

"But we're just kids!" Percy shouted.

"Percy," Grover said. "If you were Zeus, and you already thought your brother, or sister, in this case, was plotting to overthrow you, then your sister suddenly admitted she had broken the sacred oath she took after World War II, revealing that she had mothered two new mortal heroes who might be used as weapons against you…Would that put a twist in your toga?"

"But we didn't do anything. Poseidon—our dad—he didn't really have this master bolt stolen, did he?" Percy said.

Chiron sighed. "Most thinking observes would agree that thievery is not Poseidon's style, but the Sea God is too proud to try convincing Zeus of that. Zeus has demanded that Poseidon return the bolt by the summer solstice. That's June twenty-first, ten days from now. Poseidon wants an apology for being called a thief by the same date.

"I hoped that diplomacy might prevail, that Hera or Demeter or Hestia would make the two brothers see sense, but since you two arrived, it has inflamed Zeus's temper. Now neither god will back down. Unless someone intervenes, unless the master bolt is found and returned to Zeus before the solstice, there will be war. And do you know what a full-fledged war would look like, Percy and Aria?"

I didn't want to even think about that. It would probably be like the apocalypse. "Horrible?" I asked.

"Bad?" Percy guessed.

"Imagine the world in chaos. Nature at war with itself," Chiron explained, "Olympians forced to choose sides between Zeus and Poseidon. Destruction. Carnage. Millions dead. Western civilization turned into a battleground so big it will make the Trojan War look like a water-balloon fight."

"Apocalyptic," I said.

"Bad," repeated Percy.

"And you two, Percy and Aria Jackson, would be the first to feel Zeus's wrath," Chiron said.

It started raining. The volleyball players stopped their game and stared at the sky.

I was sure that Percy and I had brought this storm to this camp. I was sure that Zeus was punishing the camp because of us and I was suddenly angry.

"So we need to find his precious bolt," I said.

"And return it to Zeus," Percy finished.

"What better peace offering than to have a child, or children, of Poseidon return Zeus's property," Chiron said.

"If Poseidon doesn't have it, where is the thing?" Percy asked.

"I believe I know," Chiron said, looking grim. "Part of a prophecy I had years ago…well, some of the lines make sense to me, now. But before I can say more, you must officially take up the quest. Either of you must seek the counsel of the Oracle."

"All right, let's get this over with," I said. I didn't want to do it, but I really didn't want to live in the Apocalypse, I didn't want to turn into a dolphin, and I sure as hell didn't want to get struck by lightning by dear, ole Uncle Zeus.

"Then it's time you consulted the Oracle," said Chiron. "Go upstairs, Aria Jackson, to the attic. When you come back down, assuming you're still sane, we will talk more."

I got up, pushing the chair back with a loud screeching sound that made Grover wince. I went to the door, feeling anxious, and Percy followed me.

We entered the Big House and went to the stairs.

* * *

There was a green trapdoor and Percy pulled the cord. The door swung down, followed by a wooden ladder.

The warm attic air smelt like mildew, rotten wood, and a reptile smell.

We climbed up to what looked like was a museum dedicated to Greek heroes. There were stands with cobweb covered armor, shields covered in rust, old leather trunks that had **ITHAKA** , **CIRCE'S ISLE** , and **LAND OF THE AMAZONS** stickers covering it. There was a long table that had jars with pickled hair claws, yellow eyes, and various monster parts on it.

There was a giant snake head that had horns and shark teeth mounted on the wall, like a deer head that you see in movie cabins. There was a plaque that read: _HYDRA HEAD #1, WOODSTOCK, N.Y., 1969_ on it.

Percy grabbed my shoulder and pointed. I looked and nearly squeaked in horror and disgust. There was a shriveled female body wearing a tie-dyed sundress, beaded necklaces, and a headband over long black hair. She had thin, leathery looking skin on her face that seemed to be pulled over her skull. Her eyes were glassy white slits, as if the real eyes were replaced with glass eyes. It was obvious she had been dead for a very long time.

Just looking at her gave me goose-bumps. She suddenly sat up on her stool and opened her mouth, a green mist poured out. It coiled over the floor and hissed. Percy and I stumbled back to get to the trap-door but it slammed shut. I now knew why Chiron said 'assuming you're still sane.'

 _I am the spirit of Delphi, speaking of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python. Approach, seekers, and ask._ The voice was raspy.

She couldn't have been alive, because she was holding some kind of power in her. The power didn't feel evil; it felt more like the Thee Fates: ancient, powerful, and _not_ human.

It didn't seem like it was interested in killing me or Percy.

Percy asked, "What is our destiny?"

The mist thickened as it swirled, coiling around the long table with pickled monster parts. Four men were sitting at the table, playing cards. They became clearer. It was Ugly Gabe and his poker buddies.

Gabe turned to us and spoke, " _You shall go west, and face the god who has turned._ " He had the same raspy voice as the Oracle.

The man on the right said, " _You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned_."

The man on the left threw in two poker chips and said: " _You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend_."

Eddie said, " _And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._ "

Betraying, failing, gods turning evil, and rhyming. What fun.

I looked at Percy, who looked at me. I looked at the Oracle only to see a green misty serpent slithering into the Oracle's mouth, which was an unpleasant sight.

"Wait!" Percy shouted, "What do you mean? What friend? What will we fail to save?"

The serpent tail disappeared into the Oracle's mouth, which closed tight.

* * *

I had to drag Percy down the attic and back outside to the pinocle table.

"Well?" Chiron asked us.

Percy slumped into a chair. "She said we would retrieve what was stolen."

Grover sat forward, finishing off a Diet Coke can. "That's great!"

"What did the Oracle say _exactly_?" Chiron asked. "This is important."

"She said something about how we go west," I started.

"And face a god who had turned," Percy said.

"I knew it," Grover said.

"Anything else?" asked Chiron, not looking satisfied.

"A friend will betray us," I said. I didn't want to say it, and Percy didn't look like he wanted to say it either. What friend will betray us? I don't think Alexa and Cassie would betray us. There was always Eric, but he was a son of Ares. I think the only way he would betray me was if he was chased off by a stampede of horses.

I looked at Percy, who seemed to be thinking. I looked at Chiron. "And we would fail to save what mattered most."

"Hmm," Chiron said thoughtfully.

"What kind of prophecy is that?" Percy asked. "Why would it send us out on a quest only to tell us that we would fail in the end?"

"The Oracle's words often have double meanings," Chiron said. "Don't dwell on them too much. The truth is not always clear until events come to pass."

"Okay, so where do we go? Who's this god in the west?" Percy asked.

"Ah, think, Percy," said Chiron. "If Zeus and Poseidon weaken each other in a war, who stands to gain?"

"Someone who wants to take over," I said.

"Yes, quite." Chiron explained, "Someone who harbors a grudge, who has been unhappy with his lot since the world was divided eons ago, whose kingdom would grow powerful with the deaths of millions. Someone who hates his brothers for forcing him into an oath to have no more children, an oath that both of them have now broken."

I thought about the dream, which had the evil voice that spoke from underground. Percy said "Hades."

I wasn't so sure it was Hades. The voice sounded far evil and blood-chilling than that, but I couldn't be sure.

Chiron nodded, "The Lord of the Dead is the only possibility."

"Whoa, wait. Wh-what?" Grover asked.

"A Fury came after Percy and Aria," Chiron said. "She watched them until she was sure of their identity, then tried to kill them. Furies obey only one lord: Hades."

"Yes, but—but Hades hates _all_ heroes," Grover said. "Especially if he has found out that Percy and Aria are children of Poseidon…"

"A hellhound got into the forest," Chiron continued explaining. "Those can only be summoned from the Fields of Punishment, and it had to be summoned by someone within the camp. Hades must have a spy here."

 _Thank you_ , I thought. At least I wasn't the only one thinking that someone had summoned the beast.

"Hades must suspect Poseidon will try to use Percy or Aria to clear his name. Hades would very much like to kill these young half-bloods before they can take on the quest," Chiron finished explaining.

"That's just great," I muttered, "three gods who want us dead."

"But a quest to…" Grover swallowed, "I mean, couldn't the master bolt be in some place like Maine? Maine's very nice this time of year."

"Hades sent a minion to steal the master bolt," Chiron insisted. "He hid it in the Underworld, knowing full well that Zeus would blame Poseidon. I don't pretend to understand the Lord of the Dead's motives perfectly, or why he chose this time to start a war, but one thing is certain. Percy or Aria must go to the Underworld, find the master bolt, and reveal the truth."

Grover was shaking and eating the pinochle cards.

He needed to complete a quest with Percy and me to get his searcher's license, but how can we ask him to do the quest since we're going to fail. And Percy wouldn't let me join, being his overprotective self. He wouldn't want me to get seriously hurt or die on this quest, even though it was also my quest.

"Look, if we know it's Hades, why can't we just tell the other gods? Zeus or Poseidon could go down to the Underworld and bust some heads," Percy said.

"Suspecting and knowing are not the same," explained Chiron. "Besides, even if the other gods suspect Hades—and I imagine Poseidon does—they couldn't retrieve the bolt themselves. Gods cannot cross each other's territories except by invitation. That is another ancient rule. Heroes, on the other hand, have certain privileges. They can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as they're bold enough and strong enough to do it. No god can be held responsible for a hero's actions. Why do you think the gods always operate through humans?"

"So you're saying that we're being used," Percy deadpanned. It made me proud.

"I'm saying that it's no accident Poseidon has claimed both of you now. It's a very risky gamble, but he's in a desperate situation. He needs one of you," Chiron said.

I looked at Chiron. "Have you known all along that we were Poseidon's kids?"

"I had my suspicions. As I said…I've spoken to the Oracle, too," Chiron said.

It seemed like there was a lot that he wasn't tell us about this prophecy of his.

"Okay, so let me get this straight," Percy said, "I'm supposed to the Underworld and confront the Lord of the Dead."

"We," I said. "You left me out."

"Check," Chiron said.

"Find the most powerful weapon in the universe," Percy said.

"Check," Chiron said.

"And get it back to Olympus before the summer solstice, in ten days," Percy rattled off.

"That's about right," Chiron said.

"And find a god who turned, fail in what matters most in the end, and be betrayed by a friend," I said.

"Did I mention that Maine is very nice this time of year?" Grover asked.

I have no clue what he was talking about.

"You don't have to go," Percy said. "I can't ask that of you."

"Oh…" Grover said, "No…it's just that satyrs and underground places…well…You two saved my life. If…if you're serious about wanting me along, I won't let you down."

"All the way, G-man," Percy said. "So, where do we go? The Oracle said to go west."

"The entrance to the Underworld is always in the west. It moves from age to age, just like Olympus. Right now, of course, it's in America," explained Chiron.

"Is it in Los Angeles?" I asked, getting a little excited. I can go to Hollywood and get a map of stars' homes.

"Right," Chiron said.

"Of course," Percy said, looking at me. "No surprise why you're excited. It's like dodge ball all over again." He looked at Chiron. "So we just get on a plane—"

"No!" Grover and I shrieked at the same time.

Admittedly, I had a fear of heights, which was no surprise considering that I'm Poseidon's daughter.

"Percy, what are you thinking? Have you any of you ever been on a plane in your life?" Grover asked.

Percy and I shook our heads. Our mother never took us anywhere by plane, because we never had the money, and the fact our grandparents died in a plane crash.

"Percy, think," Chiron said. "You two are the children of the Sea God. Your father's bitterest rival is Zeus, Lord of the Sky. Your mother knew better than to trust you both in an airplane. You would be in Zeus's domain. You would never come down again alive."

Lightning struck and thunder boomed, as if agreeing with Chiron's statement.

"Okay," Percy said. "So, I'll travel overland."

" _We'll_ travel overland," I corrected.

"That's right," Chiron said. "Another companion will accompany you two."

"Who's crazy enough to join us?" I asked, not even bothering to feign shock. I knew who it would be. I kind of dreaded it.

The air shimmered behind Chiron and Annabeth became visible, stuffing her Yankees cap into her back pocket. She said, "I've been waiting a long time for a quest, algae brain. Athena is no fan of Poseidon, but if you're going to save the world, I'm the best person to keep you two from messing up."

"One," I started, digging my fingers into my palms, "Never, _ever_ call me algae brain, again. Two—"

"If you do say so yourself," Percy said, giving me a warning look, then looking back at Annabeth, "I suppose you have a plan, wise girl?"

Annabeth blushed. Good. "Do you want my help or not?"

"A trio," Percy said, before I can even say no. "That'll work."

"But what about Grover," I said. "He needs to come along."

Percy looked at me, looking sad, "Aria, you should stay here."

"No, I'm coming, too. It's also my quest," I said, feeling angry at Percy wanting me to stay.

"Grover needs his searcher's license," Percy said.

"It's okay," Grover mumbled, looking dejected, "I'll stay here. Wait until another quest is offered."

"No, you're coming too," I said and looked at Chiron. "Grover's supposed to be our protector or Keeper, so he's not really a companion, since he's protecting us, right? It's also my Quest, considering the dreams and all. If I go, even if I don't count as a companion, Grover will still get his searcher's license, for protecting both of us, right? Say, I leave the camp, without being on 'a quest' and accidentally wandered onto the group, would that count with Grover getting a searcher's license? Protecting two demigods and a lost demigod? Is it like hitting three birds with one stone?"

"Excellent," Chiron said, looking at the rain. "This afternoon, we can take you four as far as the bus terminal in Manhattan. After that, you are on your own." Lightning flashed and rain poured on the meadows. "No time to waste. I think you should all get packing."


	10. We Destroy a Perfectly Good Bus

Chapter 10: **We Accidentally Destroy a Perfectly Good Bus**

* * *

Percy and I didn't have anything to pack. I shoved my change of clothes and my toothbrush in my messenger bag. I brought my crossbow bracelet with me and Chiron had brought me celestial bronze crossbow bolts for me to use, which was strapped to a belt, that I put on. It fit me perfectly.

I decided to leave my cross stitch kit behind, not wanting to be distracted when something tries to kill or eat me.

Percy decided to leave the Minotaur horn behind, which left him with a change of clothes and his toothbrush. He stuffed his clothes and toothbrush in a backpack that Grover had found for him.

The camp store had loaned Percy one hundred dollars in mortal money and twenty, Girl Scout cookie size, golden drachmas, which had a variety of gods on one side and the Empire State Building on the other.

I vaguely recalled Chiron telling us that the ancient mortal drachmas had once been silver, but the Olympians never used anything less than pure gold. He told us that the coins might come in handy for non-mortal transactions.

He gave Percy, me, and Annabeth a canteen of nectar and a Ziploc bag full of ambrosia squares, which were for emergencies if we got seriously hurt. He reminded us that it would cure us of almost any injury, but it was deadly to mortals. Too much of it would make half-blood very feverish and an overdose would literally burn us up.

Annabeth was bringing her magic Yankees cap and brought a book to read when she got bored. She brought a bronze knife which she hid in her sleeve.

Grover had brought his fake feet and his pants. He wore the green rasta-style cap to hide the tips of his horns. He had a bright orange backpack full of scrap metal and apples. He had reed pipes his father carved for him even though he reassured us he knew two songs. Thankfully it wasn't any _Mötley Crüe_ songs that the reed pipes would surely butcher.

We waved good-bye to the other campers, but Alexa, Casey, and Eric had stopped us on our way to Half-Blood Hill.

Eric was holding a camouflage jacket that looked like the one that Clarisse usually wore. He held it out to me.

"I already have a jacket," I said, pointing at my dark blue denim jacket that I was wearing.

"I can see that," Eric said. "This jacket…camouflages you." He cringed at what he just said. "It blends you in with the surrounding area, sort of like chameleons."

I took it. Percy rolled his eyes and went to the hill were Annabeth and Grover were waiting.

"So, if I stood in front of a tree, and put it on, I will look part of the tree," I clarified.

"Yeah, you won't be invisible like how Annabeth's cap turns her invisible," Eric said, playing with fingerless gloves. He was pulled it up a little and I noticed a scar on his palm, but he instantly covered it. He gave me the evil eye, "You'll be…camouflaged."

"Thanks," I replied, a little confused.

"Bring it back, though," Eric said. "My dad gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday."

"I'll try," I said, feeling weird about the whole situation. I looked at Casey and Alexa.

"Good luck," Alexa said.

"Thanks," I replied and looked at Casey.

"Good luck," Casey said, shrugging.

"Thanks," I said again, tying the camouflage jacket around my waist. I didn't have anywhere else to put the jacket, so I was sure that I looked obnoxious wearing a denim jacket and having a camouflage jacket tied around my waist.

As I was walking to Half-Blood Hill, I heard Eric say, "Good luck, Water Girl."

I definitely, absolutely, did _not_ blush at that nickname.

Luke ran by me, holding a pair of basketball shoes, only to stop and give me a look. Maybe he was remembering that I nearly hit him with the bolt on Friday. He hurried up the hill and I followed after him.

Percy, Grover, and Annabeth were staring out over the camp.

Luke was panting as he carrying a pair of basketball shoes. "Hey!" he was panting, "Glad I caught you."

Annabeth blushed.

"Just wanted to say good luck," Luke told Percy. "And I thought…um, maybe you could use these." He handed Percy the sneakers. Being closer, I could see that they were normal looking sneakers. " _Maia!_ "

White wings sprouted from the heels, startling Percy and I. Percy dropped them and the shoes flapped around the ground until the wings folded and disappeared.

"Awesome!" Grover said.

Luke smiled, "Those served me well when I was on my quest. Gift from Dad. Of course, I don't use them much these days…" He looked sad and I pitied him.

Percy's face turned nearly as red as Annabeth's. "Hey, man, thanks."

"Listen, Percy, and Aria," Luke said, looking uncomfortable. "A lot of hopes are riding on both of you. So just…kill some monsters for me, okay?"

Percy shook Luke's hand; Luke patted Grover's head, and gave a good-bye hug to Annabeth. He looked critically at me and gave me two firm pats on my shoulder, before leaving.

"What was that about?" Percy asked me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Maybe he's still mad that I nearly shot him with a bolt during Capture the Flag when he startled me. I apologized to him after I nearly shot him."

Percy looked at Annabeth, "You're hyperventilating."

"Am not," replied Annabeth.

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?" Percy accused, looking amused.

Annabeth said, "Oh…why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?" She stomped off towards the white SUV.

"That makes the two of us," I muttered as Argus followed after the blonde camper. I picked up one of the flying shoes and felt a little sick.

"I won't be able to use there, will I?" Percy asked Chiron, holding the other shoe.

Chiron shook his head, "Luke meant well, Percy. But taking to the air…that would not be wise for you." He looked at me, "Or you."

Percy nodded and looked like he got an idea. "Hey, Grover. You want a magic item?"

Grover looked excited. "Me?"

"No, the other Grover," I replied, handing the shoe to Grover.

Percy and Grover laced up the shoes over his fake feet.

" _Maia!_ " Grover shouted, soon after the shoes were on. He flew from the ground and fell over sideways, so his backpack was dragged on the grass. The shoes were moving up and down.

"Practice," Chiron called after. "You just need practice!"

Grover screamed as he headed toward the SUV.

Chiron grabbed my arm and Percy's before we could follow. He said, "I should have trained you two, better. If only I had more time. Hercules, Jason—they all got more training."

"That's okay," Percy said. "I just wish—"

He stopped himself. He looked at me. He looked at the crossbow bracelet that I wore and the jacket that Eric gave me. I suddenly knew what that look meant. He wished that he had some magical item like I had, like the flying shoes, or Annabeth's invisibility hat.

"What am I thinking?" Chiron said. "I can't let you two leave without these." He pulled a pen from his coat pocket and handed the pen to Percy.

I looked at it and at Chiron. Percy was notorious for losing pens at school. Chiron handed me a black sheath that had a sheathed dagger, which had a peridot gemstone pressed right into the hilt.

"Percy, Aria, these are gifts from your father. I've kept these for years, not knowing you two were who I was waiting for. But the prophecy is clear to me now. You two are the ones," Chiron said.

I pulled the dagger out from its sheath. It was made out of celestial bronze and was probably ten inches long. On the blade, there was: Παλιρροϊκό Κύμα engraved on it. The dagger felt balanced in my hand. I stared at my eyes in the reflection.

"' _Tidal Wave_ …'" I muttered looking at the engraving again. The dagger was beautiful and deadly, just like me.

I'm kidding. I'm not _that_ narcissistic.

"The sword and dagger is celestial bronze. Forged by the Cyclopes, tempered in the heart of Mount Etna, cooled in the River Lethe. It's deadly to monsters, to any creature from the Underworld, provided they don't kill you first. But the blades will pass through mortals like an illusion. They simply are not important enough for the blades to kill. And I should warn you two: as demigods, you can be killed by either celestial or normal weapons. You are twice as vulnerable," Chiron explained to us.

"Good to know," Percy said.

"Now recap the pen and resheath the dagger," Chiron instructed.

I looked at the dagger, feeling a bit dejected, knowing that I was going to lose it.

"You can't," Chiron said.

"What?" I asked.

"You can't lose the pen or the dagger," Chiron explained. "It's enchanted. It will always reappear in your pocket. Try it."

Instead of throwing my dagger, like how Percy threw his pen, I stuck the dagger in my messenger bag. My crossbow bracelet was enchanted too, so I believed Chiron. At least I had a backup weapon when I run out of celestial bronze bolts.

"It may take a few moments," Chiron told us. "Now check your pocket."

Percy took the pen out of his pocket and said, "Okay, that's _extremely_ cool. But what if a mortal sees me pulling out a sword or if they see Aria using a crossbow or a dagger?"

Chiron smiled, "Mist is a powerful thing, Percy."

"Mist?" asked Percy.

Chiron explained that whenever divine or monstrous elements mix with the mortal world, it generates Mist, which blocks the vision of mortals. Apparently, we, as half-bloods sees things as they are, but humans interprets things differently, because they wanted to fit things into their version of reality.

Percy asked Chiron if there was a time before gods.

As Chiron explained that, I didn't pay attention, because I untied the camouflage jacket, folded it to the best of my ability and stuffed it into my messenger bag.

After that, it was time to go.

* * *

Argus drove us out of the countryside and into western Long Island. Annabeth, Grover, and Percy were sitting in the back, as I took a seat in the front with Argus.

It was hard to believe that Percy and I were at Half-Blood Hill for two weeks. I looked at every McDonald's, every shopping mall, and every car.

"So far so good," Percy said, "Ten miles and not a single monster."

"Don't say that," I said. "That always jinxes things."

"Aria's right," Annabeth said, "it's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

Ugh. She had to agree with me. It was the way she talked to my brother that made me hate her. She calls him seaweed brain and called me algae brain. Yeah, maybe Percy and I should've known all about this Greek mythology stuff, but hello, we have dyslexia and ADHD, so it was hard paying attention in school. Is it honestly this surprising that we don't know this stuff? There's like a thousand Greek gods out there. It's a miracle that I know four of them.

"Remind me again—why do you hate Aria and me so much?" Percy asked.

"I don't hate you two," Annabeth said.

I snorted at that.

"Could've fooled me," replied Percy.

"Look…we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals," Annabeth said.

"Why?" Percy asked.

Annabeth sighed and then explained that Poseidon and his girlfriend were caught in Athena's temple by Athena herself, which is a very giant middle finger at Athena. She gave another reason that involved Athena and Poseidon having a competition to name a city after a god. Athena created an olive tree while Poseidon created a saltwater spring, which Annabeth called stupid. Athena won, so the city was named Athens.

I wanted to smack her for that. Seriously, she was so high and mighty. I tuned them out and stared at the storm clouds.

When we got to Queens, the traffic slowed us down. When we got to Manhattan, the sun was setting and it was starting to rain.

Argus dropped us off at the Greyhound Station on the Upper East Side, which wasn't far from where my mom and Gabe's apartment.

I noticed a soggy flyer that had my and Percy's pictures on it: HAVE YOU SEEN THESE KIDS?

Percy ripped it down before Grover and Annabeth noticed it. Argus unloaded Percy's, Grover's, and Annabeth's bags, made sure that we got our tickets, and then drove away, the eye on the back of his hand, opening to watch us as he pulled out of the parking lot.

I couldn't help but think about Mom and how close the apartment was. It infuriated me, knowing that Gabe was there, not missing her. He was probably laughing it up with his buddies about how he made Percy and me out to be delinquents. Okay, me dressing the way I did and the music I loved, probably didn't hurt. I wanted to go to the apartment and drop-kick Gabe. I don't care if tomorrow's newspaper headline said: _DELINQUENT GIRL COMES HOME AND BEATS UP DEFENSELESS STEP-FATHER._

"You want to know why she married him, Percy and Aria?" asked Grover.

"What?" I asked.

"Were you reading my mind or something?" asked Percy.

"Just your emotions," Grover said, shrugging. "Guess I forgot to tell you satyrs can do that. You were thinking about your mom and your step-dad, right?"

I nodded.

Grover explained, "Your mom married Gabe for you _two_. You both call him 'Smelly,' but you've got no idea. The guy has this aura…" He sniffed and gagged, "Yuck, I can smell him from here. I can smell traces of him on you two, and you both haven't been near him for a week."

"Thanks," Percy said. "Where's the nearest shower?"

"You should be grateful, Percy. Your stepfather smells so repulsively human, he could mask the presence of any demigod. As soon as I took a whiff inside his Camaro, I knew. Gabe has been covering your scents for years. If you two hadn't lived with him every summer, you probably would've been found by monsters a long time ago. Your mom stayed with him to protect you. She was a smart lady. She must've loved you both a lot to put up with that guy—if that makes you feel any better."

It didn't make me feel better. Putting up with Gabe's treatment wasn't worth protecting us, but I couldn't worry about that now.

I had more important things to think about, like stopping an upcoming war and retrieving a master bolt.

* * *

It kept raining. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth grew restless and used one of Grover's apples as a hackey sack.

The bus arrived and as we stood in line, Grover was sniffing the air, like he smelt enchiladas.

"What is it?" asked Percy.

"I don't know," Grover said, sounding tense. "Maybe it's nothing."

I kept looking over my shoulder and felt relieved when we got on board. Percy, Grover, and Annabeth stored their backpacks on the luggage rack as I sat down. I couldn't help but feel tense. I started fiddling with my bracelet, unsure if I needed to use my crossbow. The others finally sat down and Annabeth kept slapping her cap on her thigh.

As the last passengers got on the bus, Annabeth grabbed Percy's knee. "Percy…Aria…"

An old lady in a crumpled velvet dress, lace gloves, and a shapeless orange-knit hat boarded the bus. The hat shadowed her face and she carried a big paisley purse. She titled her head up and I nearly jumped.

Of course it had to be Mrs. Dodds. However, she looked older and withered than before.

Percy and I crouched down in our seats. I pulled the camouflage jacket out of my bag, glad Eric had loaned it too me.

I looked up to see two more old ladies walk in. They looked like Mrs Dodds, but they wore different colored hats. One had a green hat and the other had a purple hat. They had paisley handbags and wrinkled dresses.

They sat in front row, behind the driver. The two in the aisle crossed their legs in the walkway, making an X. It was a message: nobody leaves.

"That's the Jackson Luck at work," I whispered to Percy. "Of course they didn't stay dead for long."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. " _Di immortales!_ "

"It's okay," Annabeth said, looking like she was thinking hard, "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem. We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

Annabeth suggested, "A back exit?"

"There's no back exit," I said. Now that I thought about it, this bus was a safety hazard.

We were on North Avenue, heading for the Lincoln Tunnel.

"They won't attack us with witnesses around," Percy said. "Will they?"

"They probably would," I said.

"Mortals don't have good eyes. Their brains can only process what they see through the Mist," Annabeth said.

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" asked Percy.

Annabeth thought about it. "Hard to say, but we can't count on mortals for help. Maybe an emergency exit in the roof…"

We hit the Lincoln Tunnel and the bus went dark. The only light was the lights down the aisle. It was silent and I kind of missed the sound of the rain.

One of the Furies got up. In a flat voice, she announced to the whole bus, "I need to use the restroom."

"So do I," said the second Fury.

"So do I," replied the third Fury.

They started walking down the aisle.

"I've got it," Annabeth said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?" Percy asked.

"You're one of the two they want," Annabeth said. "Turn invisible and go up the aisle. Let them pass you. Maybe you can get to the front and get away."

Percy looked at me, then Annabeth and Grover. "But you guys—"

"There's an outside chance they might not notice us," Annabeth said. "You two are children of one of the Big Three. Your scents might be overpowering, especially together."

"I can't just leave you," Percy said.

"Don't worry about us," Grover said. "Go!"

Percy's hands shook and he grabbed the Yankees cap, putting it on. He vanished.

Annabeth looked at me and I pulled on the jacket. It was big enough to cover both me and my bag. I felt a cool, tingling feeling run up and down my torso. I looked down at my body to see that I had blended in with my seat. If I looked closely, I could see a faint outline of where I sat. I moved slowly out of the way, trying not to step on Grover and I _accidentally_ stepped on Annabeth's feet, and I mumbled an apology. I was sure she glared at me. I moved down the aisle where the bus driver was at. I sat in one row just as the Furies past.

One stopped and sniffed at the air, then stopped and looked at the seat that was across from me. I was sure that was Percy. The Fury turned and looked directly at me. My heart started beating rapidly and my hands felt sweaty. I fumbled in the jacket and slipped my hand inside my bag, grabbing the handle of the dagger.

The Furies started walking and so did I. Well, actually, I was hopping seats, trying not to move or accidentally walk into Percy, wherever he was at.

We were almost through the Lincoln Tunnel and there was a wail from the back row.

I turned to look to see that their bodies had shriveled into leathery brown bodies with bat's wings. Their hands had turned into something that resembled gargoyle claws. Their handbags turned into fiery whips.

The Furies surrounded Grover and Annabeth. They lashed their whips and hissed, "Where is it? Where?"

The mortals started screaming and cowering in their seats. I wasn't sure what they saw, but it must've been horrible.

"They're not here!" Annabeth yelled. "They're gone!"

The Furies raised their whips. Annabeth drew her knife and Grover grabbed a tin from his bag. I wasn't sure what Grover planned on doing with that can, maybe throw it or something.

I got up right as the bus swerved left. I fell right back in my seat and the Furies smacked into the windows.

"Hey! Hey! Whoa!" the driver yelled. I figured that Percy must've grabbed the wheel.

The bus slammed against the side of the tunnel. There was grinding metal and sparks flying.

The bus careened out of the Lincoln Tunnel, right into the storm. Mortals and the Furies were tossed around, and I gripped my seat, so I wasn't thrown around. Cars were plowed aside and I hoped that they weren't terribly injured.

We shot off the highway, right through a dozen traffic lights and barreled down a New Jersey rural round. To our left were woods and to our right was the Hudson River. We were headed to the river. The bus suddenly wailed, spun in a circle, and crashed right into the trees. The emergency lights came on and the doors opened. The driver was the first one out. The passengers stampeded after him.

The Furies regained their balance, then lashed their whips at Annabeth. She waved her knife and yelled at them to back off in Ancient Greek, while Grover threw tin cans.

I looked at the Furies, wondering which one to attack. I wanted to go after Mrs Dodds, for the incident during that field trip.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. The Furies turned, baring their yellow fangs at him. Mrs Dodds stalked up the aisle, the way she used too when she was going to give me an F- math test. She was flicking her whip, which made the flames elongate on the barbed leather.

I got out of my seat, because one of the sisters hopped on the row, crawling toward Percy, like it was a generic demon possessing a human from a horror movie.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs Dodds said, in an accent that came further south than Georgia. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," Percy said.

Mrs. Dodds growled at that. I moved so I was standing right beside Percy. I removed the camouflage jacket and tossed it aside. Percy took the pen from his pocket and uncapped it. The pen elongated into a sword. I held up my dagger and the Furies hesitated.

Mrs. Dodds had been killed by the sword before, so she obviously hated seeing it again. She hissed, "Submit now, and you two will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try," Percy said.

"Percy, look out!" Annabeth cried.

Mrs. Dodds lashed her whip around Percy's sword. I lunged at Mrs. Dodds and tackled her into the aisle. Mrs. Dodds kicked, clawed, and tried hitting me with the whip, but Grover ripped it out of her hand. I hit my former math teacher with the hilt of my dagger, repeatedly, more out of anger for that dictionary punishment.

Grover yanked me away because he had tied Mrs. Dodds's legs with the whip.

"Zeus will destroy you two!" Mrs. Dodds yelled. "Hades will have your souls!"

Percy yelled, "Eat my pants!" at her in Greek.

Thunder shook the bus and the hair rose on my arms. I grabbed the camouflage jacket as we ran out of the bus.

Other passengers were walking in circles, some were arguing with the driver, and a guy ran in circles, screaming, "We're going to die!"

Before I can put my dagger away, a flash caught my attention. A Hawaiian-shirted tourist had a camera up.

"Our bags!" Grover shouted. "We left our—"

 _BOOM_

The windows of the bus exploded and Percy pulled me away, because lightning ripped a huge hole in the roof. There was an angry wail from inside, which meant that Mrs. Dodds wasn't dead.

"Run!" Annabeth yelled. "She's calling for reinforcement! We have to get out of here!"

We ran into the woods.

* * *

A/N: I used three different websites for the translation of Greek for Aria's dagger. I wasn't going to use Google translate, because everyone says that it's wrong.


	11. Off With Her Head!

Chapter 11: **Off With Her Head!**

* * *

We walked through the woods along the New Jersey riverbank. Grover was shivering and braying, his eyes were slit-pupiled and wide with terror. "Three Kindly Ones. All three at once."

I was in shock myself. I tackled my demonic math teacher, who tried to kill me and rip my brother's hand off. Annabeth was shoving me and Percy along, saying, "Come on! The farther away we get, the better."

"All our money was back there," Percy said. "Our food and clothes. Everything."

I looked in my messenger bag. "I got some ambrosia squares and nectar in here. I didn't have any money, though. That went to Percy."

Annabeth started ranting, "Well, maybe if you two hadn't decided to jump into the fight—"

"What did you want me to do? Let you get killed?" Percy asked.

"Somehow it's my fault?" I asked, agitated.

"You two didn't need to protect me. I would've been fine," Annabeth said.

"Sliced like sandwich bread, but fine," Grover said.

"Shut up, goat boy," snapped Annabeth.

"Leave him alone," I snapped at the blonde.

I was growing even more agitated with her. Maybe the rivalry that my dad and Athena had was embedded in my DNA, which was fueling my agitation with her. But one more smart-ass remark from her, I was going to haul off and slap her.

Grover brayed mournfully, "Tin cans…a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

With that, we made our way through the woods, though trees that smelt like really old laundry.

Annabeth fell into step with Percy. "Look, I…" She stopped on her words. "I appreciate you two coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?" asked Percy.

Annabeth was thankfully silent, but started speaking, "It's just that if any of you died….aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world."

And she suddenly makes it about her? Does she not really care about the impeding war? Did she join because she wants to see the 'real world?' Well, to bad, sweetie, the real world freaking sucks ass, man.

After some more walking, the storm finally let up.

"You haven't left Camp Half-Blood since you were seven?" Percy asked.

"No…only on short field trips," Annabeth said, "My dad—"

"The history professor," Percy said.

"Yeah, it didn't work out for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood _is_ my home," Annabeth explained. "At camp you train and train. And that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

We kept walking and then Annabeth said, "You know, may I should tell you…Something funny back on the bus—"

 _Toot-toot-toot_

I looked at the trees, wondering if maybe an owl was being tortured.

"Hey, my reed pipes still work!" Grover cried. "If I could just remember a 'find path' song, we could get out of these woods."

He played a few notes on the reed pipes and Percy immediately walked straight into a tree. I gave him a piece of ambrosia to remove that giant knot on his head.

We kept walking, tripping, and cursing at things, we started seeing light up ahead. It looked like the lights from a neon light. I could even smell food.

I hadn't eaten anything unhealthy since Camp Half-Blood and hadn't eaten anything since we got the quest. I really wanted a bacon cheeseburger and chili cheese fries right now.

We kept walking until we came to a small clearing in the trees. Right across a deserted two-lane road there was a closed down gas station, a tattered billboard, and an open business that was the source of the neon light and the food smell.

It was a weird roadside shop that sold lawn flamingos, wooden Native Americans, cement grizzly bears, among other lawn ornaments.

The neon sign displayed one of my worst enemies: red cursive neon English.

 _ATNYU MES GDERAN GOMEN MEPROUM_

"What the hell does that say?" Percy asked.

"I don't know," Annabeth said.

That was another thing that we can agree on. We both didn't know what the sign said.

"Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium," Grover said.

"Garden Gnome Emporiums exist?" I asked confused.

When we got closer, there were two cement garden gnomes that were flanking the entrance. They were smiling and waving, as if they were going to get their picture taken.

"Hey…" Grover warned.

"There are lights on inside. Maybe it's open," Annabeth said.

"Snack bar," Percy and I said wistfully.

"Snack bar," Annanbeth agreed.

"Are you three crazy?" Grover said, "This place is weird."

At what Grover said kind of lifted the food induced trance I was in, but we continued walking.

There was forest of statutes: cement animals, cement children, and even a cement satyr playing the pipes.

" _Bla-ha-ha!_ " Grover bleated, "Looks like my Uncle Ferdinand!"

We stopped at the warehouse door.

"Don't knock," Grover pleaded. "I smell monsters."

"Your nose is clogged up from the Furies," Annabeth said. "All I smell is burgers. Aren't you hungry?"

I would've agreed with Annabeth, but what she said, lifted the brain fog a little. If his nose was clogged, he would've been smelling monsters in the woods when we were walking. The smell of food was overpowering and it was stirring my hungry even more.

"Come on," Grover said, "Let's leave. These statues are…looking at me."

"You're being paranoid," I told him.

The door creaked open and someone appeared in the door. They wore a long black gown that covered everything but her hands, which were a light brown color. She wore a veil, so she must be European. I could make out eyes through the veil, but that was all.

"Children, it is too late to be out all alone," the woman said, in a vaguely Middle Eastern accent. "Where are you parents?"

"They're…um…" Annabeth started.

"We're orphans," Percy said.

"Orphans?" the woman asked, shocked. "But, my dears! Surely not!"

"We got separate from our caravan," Percy said. "Our circus caravan. The ringmaster told us to meet him at the gas station if we got lost."

"He probably forgot," I cut in. "Or maybe he purposely meant a different gas station. May we come in?"

"Oh, my dears," the woman said. "Come in, poor children. I am Aunty Em. Go straight through to the back of the warehouse, please. There is a dining area."

"Thanks," I said as I walked in.

There were more statues inside. There were people in different poses, wearing all different outfits, and with different expressions on their faces. They all were life-size.

"Circus caravan?" Annabeth demanded.

"Always have a strategy, right?" Percy asked.

"Your head is full of kelp," Annabeth replied.

"Hey, you didn't have anything to say," I snapped. "And when Percy comes up with something, it's suddenly wrong?"

I found the dining area, which was in the back. It had a fast-food counter with a grill, a soda fountain, a pretzel heater, and a nacho cheese dispenser. There were a few steel picnic tables in the middle of the little food court.

"Please, sit down," Aunty Em said.

I sat down as Percy said, "Awesome."

"Um, we don't have any money, ma'am," Grover said, sounding reluctant.

"No, no, children," Aunty Em said in a sweet voice. "No money. This is a special case, yes? It is my treat, for such nice orphans."

"Thank you, ma'am," Annabeth said.

"Quite all right, Annabeth," Aunty Em said looking at her, "You have such beautiful gray eyes, child."

Percy, Grover, and Annabeth sat at the table, as Aunty Em went behind the snack counter and started cooking.

Maybe it was to quick or maybe I last track of time, but Aunty Em returned with trays heaped with double cheeseburgers, double extra large servings of fries, a bacon cheeseburger with a tray of double extra large chili cheese fries, and large glasses of vanilla milkshakes, complete with whip cream and cherries on top.

I was halfway through my chili cheese fries when Grover asked, "What's that hissing noise?"

I listened for this hissing noise and didn't hear anything. Annabeth shook her head.

Aunty Em said, "Hissing? Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil. You have keen ears, Grover."

"I take vitamins. For my ears," Grover said.

"That's admirable, but please, relax," Aunty Em said.

I barely started on my bacon cheeseburger and was highly unsettled by the way Aunty Em watched us. She had sat forward with her hands together.

"So, you sell gnomes," Percy said, failing to sound interested.

"Oh, yes," Aunty Em said. "And animals. And people. Anything for the garden. Custom orders. Statuary is very popular, you know."

"I see that you don't get much business on this road," I said, drinking my milkshake.

"Most cars, they do not go this way now, since the highway was built. I must cherish every customer I get," Aunty Em said.

I don't know why, but when she said, 'Cherish every customer' made me shiver. Percy turned around in his seat. I looked to see a statue of a little girl holding an Easter basket. Her face looked terrified or startled. It was unnerving.

"Ah, you notice some of my creatures do not turn out well. They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face," Aunty Em said, sounding sad.

I felt bad for her. I know some of my cross stitch patterns don't turn out right the first time around, so I knew how she felt.

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked.

"Oh, yes. Once upon a time, I had two sisters to help me in the business, but they have passed on, and Aunty Em is alone. I have only my statutes. This is why I make them, you see. They are my company," Aunty Em explained, sounding sad.

I knew what it was like, not having any friends.

Annabeth sat forward, "Two sisters?"

"It's a terrible story," Aunty Em said. "Not one for children, really. You see, Annabeth, a bad woman was jealous of me, long ago, when I was young. I had a…boyfriend, you know, and this bad woman was determined to break us apart. She caused a terrible accident. They shared my bad fortune as long as they could, but eventually they passed on. They faded away. I alone have survived, but at a price. Such a price."

Suddenly the fog lifted. How did Aunty Em know Annabeth's name? How did Aunty Em know what food I wanted? And her sisters _faded_ away? What price was she cursed with? The hissing that Grover heard and the monster smell that he should've smelled in the woods, if his nose was 'clogged.'

"Percy?" Annabeth said, shaking Percy, who seemed to be falling asleep. "Aria?" She looked at me and I nodded. "Maybe we should go. I mean, the ringmaster will be waiting."

Grover was eating the waxed paper off the tray now.

"Such beautiful gray eyes," Aunty Em said to Annabeth. "My, yes, it has been a long time since I've seen gray eyes like those." She reached out.

Annabeth stood up, "We really should go."

"Yes!" Grover said, swallowing the waxed paper, standing up. "The ringmaster is waiting! Right!"

I stood up, "Come on, Percy. We shouldn't keep the circus caravan waiting." Percy sat there, looking half-asleep. I grabbed his arm and tugged on him.

"Please dears," Aunty Em pleaded. "I so rarely get to be with children. Before you, won't you at least sit for a pose?"

"A pose?" Annabeth asked, sounding wary.

I know. Who says, 'sit for a pose?'

"A photograph," Aunty Em said. "I will use it to model a new statute set. Children are so popular, you see. Everyone loves children."

Annabeth started, "I don't think we can, ma'am. Come on, Percy—"

"Sure we can," Percy said. "It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?"

"Yes, Annabeth," the woman purred. "No harm."

Aunty Em led us out of the front door right into the garden of statues. She had led us to the statue of the satyr.

"No, I'll just position you correctly," Aunty Em said. "Ariadne will be right next to her twin, the blonde right in between the two gentlemen."

I sat down, immediately suspicious of Aunty Em knowing my full name. So far, only Mrs. Dodds knew my full name, and she tried to kill me.

"Not much light for a photo," Percy said.

"Oh, enough," Aunty Em said. "Enough for us to see each other, yeah?"

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

Aunty Em stepped back, "Now, the face is the most difficult. Can you smile for me, please, everyone? A large smile?"

The lack of a camera was deeply worrying. I pulled out the camouflage jacket and lay it on my lap.

Through the lull of her voice, the pieces started to pile in my head. Statues…the way she didn't remove the veil, even to cook food…Aunty Em…Aunty M. _Medusa!_

"I will just be a moment," Medusa said. "You know, I can't see you very well in this cursed veil…"

"Percy, something's wrong," Annabeth insisted.

"Wrong? Not at all, dear. I have such noble company tonight. What could be wrong?" Medusa said.

"That _is_ Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover gasped. I pulled on the jacket right as Annabeth shouted, "Look away from her!"

I ran into the statue garden on my left, purposely knocking over a stand with those weird garden gazing balls, to try and trip her. I ran into the maze of statues. I took off the crossbow bracelet, the crossbow elongating in my hands. I knocked a celestial bronze bolt.

I knew the myth. Her head had to be cut off, but hopefully the bolts would distract her long enough for someone to cut her damn head off.

There was a strange, rasping sound and then I heard Annabeth, yelling, "No! Don't!"

"Run!" Grover bleated. " _Maia!_ "

I made my way back, trying to find a place where I could see Medusa's back. I finally found an area where her back was. I took cover behind a man that had a beer gut.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face," Medusa said soothingly. "Stay with me, Perseus. All you have to do is look up!"

I fired a bolt into her back. She let out a very angry sounding screech and I ducked, nearly smacking my face into the statue's beer gut.

Something tells me that I was going to be pissing off a lot of monsters with my crossbow. Oh, well.

"Run, Percy!" I shouted as I ran into the statuary.

"You miserable Sea Brat!" yelled Medusa. "I'll add you to my collection!"

Sea Brat? That was the worst she could come up with?

I knew I was making a lot of noise, but I hoped that Medusa was following me. I didn't want a statue for a brother.

I circled around, till I was back at the park bench. I jumped over the park bench and made a beeline for some statuary. Grover was holding a tree branch and something pulled me down. I nearly screeched.

"You just had to piss her off," Percy ground out.

"What can I say?" I asked. "I have that effect on people."

 _Thwack!_

"You miserable satyr!" snarled Medusa.

That was the best insult she had?

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!" Grover yelled back.

 _Ker-whack!_

Medusa made a growling, groaning sound. Her snake-hair hissed and spat.

"Percy!" Annabeth's voice said.

Percy jumped, "Jeez! Don't do that!"

Annabeth took her Yankees cap off. She said, "You have to cut her head off."

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here," Percy said.

"And let her continue terrorizing everyone?" I asked. "She killed lots of people to create this damn maze of statues. She killed a little girl."

"I'd kill her myself, but…" Annabeth said. "But you've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance."

Percy started, "What? I can't—"

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?" Annabeth asked.

She motioned to a statue and grabbed a green gazing ball from a nearby pedestal. "A polished shield would be better." She studied the sphere. "The convexity will cause—"

"Look at Medusa in the glass," I told Percy. We didn't have time to listen for this nonsense.

" _Never_ look at her directly," Annabeth said.

"Hey, guys!" Grover yelled, "I think she's unconscious!" Medusa roared. "Maybe not."

"Hurry," Annabeth said. "Grover's got a great nose, but he'll eventually crash."

Percy took out his pen and uncapped it. The pen elongated into a sword.

"I'll distract her and you try and chop her head off from…somewhere," I said.

I ran back into the fray, trying to avoid Medusa's and Grover's fight. I ran behind a statue, and knocked another bolt.

I crouched down, trying to aim for one of Medusa's legs or knees. There was a thump and a groan of pain.

"You wouldn't hurt an old woman, right Percy and Aria?" Medusa said in a soothing tone. "I know you two wouldn't."

"Percy, Aria, don't listen to her!" moaned Grover.

Medusa cackled, "Too late."

I fired a bolt into Medusa's knee right as she lunged at Percy.

 _Shlock!_

There was a hissing, like wind rushing out of something. It was the sound of a monster disintegrating.

"Oh, yuck!" Grover said. I can hear something gurgling and steaming, which nearly made me throw up my food. Grover moaned, "Mega-yuck!"

"Don't move," Annabeth said.

I emerged from the park bench, removing the camouflage jacket. Annabeth was holding something that was wrapped in a veil and was dripping green juice.

"Are you okay?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah," Percy said, but he looked like he was going to throw up. "Why didn't…why didn't the head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war," Annabeth said, "Same as your minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head. It can still petrify you."

Grover moaned as he climbed down from the grizzly statue, that he apparently landed on. There was a big welt on his forehead. His green rasta cap dangled from one of his little horns and his fake feet had knocked off. The magic sneakers were flying aimlessly around his head.

"The Red Baron," Percy said. "Good job, man."

Grover gave a bashful grin. "That really was _not_ fun, though. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? _Not_ fun." He grabbed the shoes from the air, Percy recapped his sword, and I pulled the crossbow cord and it shrunk back into a bracelet. We went back to the warehouse.

There was some old plastic grocery bags behind the snack counter, where we wrapped it up, and plopped the head down on the table. We sat down at the table.

"So, we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked.

Annabeth gave him an irritated look. "Your dad, actually. Don't you remember? Medusa was Poseidon's girlfriend. They decided to meet in my mother's temple. That's why Athena turned her into a monster. Medusa and her two sisters who helped her get into the temple, they became the three gorgons. That's why Medusa wanted to slice me up."

Percy's face turned red, "Oh, so now it's _my_ fault we met Medusa."

In a bad imitation of Percy's voice, she said, "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'"

In a bad 1960's starlet voice, I said, "'Your nose is clogged up from the Furies.'"

She glared at me.

Oh, so it's okay for her to dish it, it but she can't take it?

"I don't talk like that!" she snapped at me.

"My brother doesn't talk like that, either," I snapped by at her.

"Drop it, Aria," Percy said. "She's impossible."

"You're insufferable," Annabeth said.

"You're bossy!" I snapped at Annabeth.

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You three are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even _get_ migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"

I looked at the bag to see one little snake was dangling from a hole.

Percy got up, "I'll be back."

Annabeth started, "Percy, what are you—?"

Percy wandered off and I stayed where I was.

"What is he doing?" Annabeth asked.

"I don't know," I said shrugging.

After a minute later, Annabeth said, "I think there's something wrong with this quest."

"Besides me joining it, when it should be a trio?" I asked.

"No, back on the bus, the Furies said 'where is _it_ ," Annabeth said. "It didn't seem like they were asking about a person, but an object."

"It seemed like they were holding back," Grover said thoughtfully.

"You sure about that?" I asked.

"Back at Yancy, why did Mrs. Dodds wait so long to try to kill you and Percy? Then on the bus, they just weren't as aggressive as they would've been," Grover said.

It did make some sense.

Percy returned with a box and dropped it onto the table.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

He dropped the bag with Medusa's head in the box and filled out a delivery slip:

 _The Gods_

 _Mount Olympus  
_ _600_ _th_ _Floor,  
_ _Empire State Building  
_ _New York, NY_

 _With best wishes,  
_ _Percy and Aria Jackson_

"They're not going to like that," Grover said, in a warning tone. "They'll think you two are being impertinent."

He poured some drachmas into a pouch and as soon as he closed the pouch, there was a _cha-ching_ sound like a cash register. The package floated off the table and disappeared with a _pop!_

"We _are_ impertinent," Percy said.

Percy and I looked at Annabeth. I was daring her to criticize Percy's decision.

"Come," Annabeth muttered, sounding resigned over us pissing off gods. "We need a plan."


	12. We Get Help From a Pink Poodle

Chapter 12: **We Get Help From a Pink Poodle**

* * *

We were pretty miserable after fighting Medusa.

One hundred yards away from the main road, we set up camp in a marshy clearing that had obviously been used for parties. The ground was littered with flattened soda cans, beer cans, red solo cups, and fast-food wrappers.

We had taken some food and blankets from Aunty Em's, but we didn't start a fire. We didn't want to attract more attention from monsters.

We had agreed to sleep in shifts. Percy and I offered to go first, but Annabeth fell asleep, so it just left me and Percy arguing over who went first. Percy won.

I lay down, trying to get comfortable. The smell of trash was making it difficult to fall asleep. Grover used the flying shoes to fly to the lowest bough of a tree. He put his back to the trunk and looked up at the night sky.

"Go ahead and sleep," Percy said. "I'll wake you if there's trouble."

"It makes me sad, Percy," Grover said.

"What does? The fact that you signed up for this stupid quest?" Percy asked.

"No. _This_ makes me sad," Grover said, "And the sky. You can't even see the stars. They've polluted the sky. This is a terrible time to be a satyr."

Somehow, I fell asleep.

* * *

I had a dream where _I was back in Yancy Academy, with Mrs. Dodds screeching, "Detention! You get a lifetime of detention, starting now!"_

 _A hole opened from beneath my desk and I fell into blackness._

 _The dream shifted and I was standing in a dark cave, right before a gaping pit. There were gray wisps that I somehow knew was spirits of the dead._

 _The wisps grabbed at my clothes, trying to pull me away from the edge, but I just had to walk forward right to the edge of the chasm._ _I went and looked down. It felt like something huge and evil was trying to rise up._

" _The little heroes," an amused voice said. It was echoing. "Too weak, too young, but perhaps you two will do."_ _The voice seemed cold and heavy._ " _They have misled you, children. Barter with me," the voice continued, "I will give you two what you want."_

 _An image hovered over the void. It was my mom, frozen right at the moment she had dissolved in the shower of gold._

 _Her face was distorted with pain, as if the Minotaur were still strangling her. Her eyes looked at something to the right of me._

 _I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't form any words._

 _Laughter came from the chasm and s_ _omething pulled me forward. I knew that it would drag me right into the pit, unless I stayed still._

" _Help me rise, children," the voice said. "Bring me the bolt. Strike a blow against the treacherous gods!"_

 _The wisps whispered, "No! Wake!"_

 _I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again._

I woke up on the ground in the woods. "She rises!" Annabeth declared and went to shake Percy awake.

I looked around and found Grover sitting cross-legged on the ground with a pink toy poodle. I squinted at it, wondering where he got a stuffed animal from and then realized, that no, that it was a _real_ pink poodle.

"Well, the zombie lives," Annabeth said.

"How long was I asleep?" Percy asked.

"Long enough for me to cook breakfast," Annabeth said, throwing Percy a bag of nacho-flavored corn chips from the snack bar. "And long enough for Grover to go exploring. Look, he found a friend."

The poodle yapped at Percy. Grover said, "No, he's not."

"You're talking to the poodle?" I asked, confused.

"Yes," Grover said. He looked at Percy and me, "Percy, Aria, meet Gladiola. Gladiola, Percy and Aria."

"Who names their dog Gladiola?" I asked. "That's a horrible name."

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," Percy said. "Forget it."

"Percy, I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle," Grover said.

Gladiola growled at Percy and Percy said hello to the poodle.

Grover explained that he'd come across Gladiola in the woods and they'd struck up a conversation. Gladiola had ran away from a local rich family, who'd posted a two-hundred dollar reward for his return. Gladiola didn't want to go back to his family, but he was willing to if it meant helping Grover.

"All right, I guess we can return Gladiola," I muttered.

"So, we turn in Gladiola, we get money, and we buy tickets to Los Angeles," Annabeth said. "Simple."

I thought about the dream I had. Something still tickled at me. I don't think Hades was the one in the pit. Something about it seemed even more sinister and more ancient.

"Not another bus," Percy said, sounding wary. He was probably remembering Mrs. Dodds's attack on the bus.

"No," Annabeth said, pointing downhill.

I turned to look and saw train tracks.

"There's an Amtrack station half a mile that way. According to Gladiola, the westbound train leaves at noon," Annabeth said.

"We better get started if we want to get the reward and get the tickets," I said.

* * *

We packed up some extra snacks and Gladiola led us out of the woods. As we were walking, Percy asked me, "Did you have that strange dream, too?"

"Yes," I whispered back. "I have a feeling that it's not Hades. That voice came from a _pit_ , Percy."

"Why did it mean by 'they have misled you?'" Percy asked me.

"I don't know," I said.

We made it to Gladiola's home and Annabeth rang the doorbell.

A man had answered it and gave us two-hundred dollars. There was a crying girl and a mother who was thankful over Gladiola's safe return that she had asked if there was anything she can do for us, and Percy mentioned going to the Amtrak station, she agreed to give us a ride there.

* * *

It was an awkward drive there, considering why the woman asked us why we looked like we slept on the ground. We told her that we went camping and when she dropped us off at station, she drove so fast out of the parking lot, that I was sure that she left a few skid-marks on the ground.

We went to purchase train tickets, but apparently two hundred dollars can get as far as Denver, but at least we weren't taking any buses, and I wasn't complaining.


	13. How We Nearly Died Again

Chapter 13: **How We Nearly Died. Again.**

* * *

We spent two days on the train. We weren't attacked once, but I couldn't relax, for fear of being attacked again. I kept pulling out the camouflage jacket and fiddling with it, until Percy got annoyed and took it away from me.

At some point, in between Percy's pacing, I watched a passenger throw _The Trenton Register-News_ away, which I took from the trashcan because it had our pictures on it.

The photo was of me and Percy getting off the Greyhound bus together, that had been taken by that tourist. Percy had a wild look in his eyes; his sword was a metallic blur. It could've been a baseball bat or a lacrosse stick. I looked even worse because my hair was a mess; I looked distinctly ruffled, and a little crazy.

It took a while to read it, but the article had said:

 _Twelve-year-olds Percy and Aria Jackson, wanted for questioning in the Long Island disappearance of their mother two weeks ago, is shown here fleeing from the bus where they accosted several elderly female passengers. The bus exploded on an east New Jersey roadside shortly after the two fled the scene. Based on eyewitness accounts, police believe the two may be traveling with teenage accomplices. The Jackson kids' step-father, Gabe Ugliano, has offered a cash reward for information leading to his step-children's' capture._

I handed the newspaper to Percy, who took a while to read it, but when he read it, he paled and seemed to grow anxious.

"Don't worry," Annabeth said. "Mortal police could never find us." Not even she didn't sound so sure.

For the rest of the day, Percy alternated between pacing and looking out the window.

When it was nighttime, we had the misfortune of not getting berths in the sleeper car, so we had dozed in our seats. Once, I woke up to Grover's snores and bleats.

When I couldn't sleep, I heard Grover shuffling around and I heard a thud because his fake foot fell off.

"So, who wants your help?" Annabeth asked as she and Percy got Grover's sneak readjusted.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"When you were asleep just now, you mumbled, 'I won't help you'. Who were you dreaming about?" Annabeth asked.

Percy hesitated, but he explained to her about the voice from the cave that we had dreamt about.

Annabeth stayed quiet for a long time. "That doesn't sound like Hades. He always appears on a black throne, and he never laughs."

"He offered our mother in trade. Who else could do that?" Percy asked.

"I guess…if he meant, 'Help me rise from the Underworld.' If he wants war with the Olympians. But why ask you to bring him the master bolt if he already has it?" Annabeth asked.

"Maybe he doesn't have the master bolt," I pointed out. They looked at me, as if realizing that I was always sitting there. "I mean, there were the Furies. They seemed to be looking for something. Maybe he thought we had the master bolt and sent them out to take it from us, so he can use it to destroy Olympus. I don't know. Maybe we can barter Hades with the master bolt and outsmart him somehow."

Grover snorted in his sleep and muttered something about vegetables. He turned his head.

Annabeth readjusted his cap so it covered his horns. "Percy, Aria, you can't barter with Hades. You know that, right? He's deceitful, heartless, and greedy. I don't care if his Kindly Ones weren't as aggressive this time—"

"This time?" Percy asked. "You mean you've run into them before?"

Annabeth fiddled with her necklace. "Let's just say I've got no love for the Lord of the Dead. You can't be tempted to make a deal for your mom."

"What would you do if it was your dad?" Percy asked.

"That's easy. I'd leave him to rot," Annabeth stated, as if it was supposed to be obvious.

"Seriously?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I wished that I could've done it more gracefully.

"My dad's resented me since the day I was born. He never wanted a baby. When he got me, he asked Athena to take me back and raise me on Olympus because he was too busy with his work. She wasn't happy about that. She told him heroes had to be raised by their mortal parent," Annabeth explained.

"But how…I mean, I guess you weren't born in a hospital," Percy said.

"I appeared on my father's doorstep, in a golden cradle, carried down from Olympians by Zephyr the West Wind. You'd think my dad would remember that as a miracle, right? Like, maybe he'd take some digital photos or something. But he always talked about my arrival as if it were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him. When I was five, he got married and totally forgot about Athena. He got a 'regular' mortal wife, and had two 'regular' mortal kids, and tried to pretend I didn't exist."

Percy looked out the train window.

I felt bad for Annabeth, which is a shock, really. I pitied her. I mean, once before winter break, I overheard a boy's mother straight up telling him that she hated him and in the most defeated voice I ever heard, he said, 'I know'. I think I heard him saying that his dad was the reason why he was still alive. I wonder how that guy's doing, now that I think about it. I felt more terrible for him than Annabeth at that moment.

"Our mom married a really awful guy," Percy said.

"He treated my mom and me like we were maids," I said. "He couldn't get up and walk a few feet to the kitchen to get a beer. He had me get it for him."

"Grover said she did it to protect us, to hide us in the scent of a human family. Maybe that's what your dad was thinking," Percy said.

"Yeah, maybe he was pushing you away, because he knew that you had to go away soon, so he didn't want it to hurt more," I pointed out.

Annabeth was pinching the gold college ring that hung with the beads. It had to be her father's, but why would she wear it if she hated him so much.

"He doesn't care about me," Annabeth said. "His wife—my step-mom—treated me like a freak. She wouldn't let me play with her children. My dad went along with her. Whenever something dangerous happened—you know, something with monsters—they would be look at me resentfully, like, 'how dare you put our family at risk.' Finally, I took the hint. I wasn't wanted. I ran away."

"How old were you?" Percy asked.

"Same age as when I started camp. Seven," Annabeth said.

"But…you couldn't have gotten all the way to Half-Blood Hill by yourself," Percy pointed out.

"Not alone, no," Annabeth said. "Athena watched over me, guided me toward help. I made a couple of unexpected friends who took care of me, for a short time, anyway."

Annabeth seemed to look like she rethinking all that so Percy and I looked at each other.

* * *

Toward the end of our second day on the train, July 13, we passed through some hills and over the Mississippi River into St. Louis.

Annabeth looked at the Gateway Arch and she sighed, "I want to do that."

"What?" Percy asked.

"Build something like that. You ever see the Parthenon, Percy and Aria?" Annabeth said.

"Only in pictures," Percy said.

"Which we looked at in Latin class," I added. Where did Annabeth think we got the money to go traveling and look at the Parthenon? Gabe would have an entire barn if we even suggested going to look at the Parthenon.

"Someday, I'm going to see it in person. I'm going to build the greatest monument to the gods, ever. Something that'll last a thousand years," Annabeth said.

Percy laughed, "You? An architect?"

I'll admit it, it sounded funny.

Annabeth's face turned red, "Yes, an architect. Athena expects her children to create thing, not just tear them down, like a certain god of earthquakes I could mention."

In that moment, I wanted to figure out how to create personal earthquakes so I can give her one.

"Sorry," Annabeth said. "That was mean."

"No duh," I muttered.

"Can't we all work together a little?" Percy asked, giving me a look. "I mean, didn't Athena and Poseidon ever cooperate?"

I don't know why he looked at me like that. I thought Annabeth and I were cooperating, even though I keep snipping at her.

"I guess…the chariot." Annabeth explained, "My mom invented it, but Poseidon created horses out of the crests of waves. So they had to work together to make it complete."

"Then we can cooperate, too." Percy said, "Right?" He kicked my foot.

"Right," I stated, nearly kicking him back.

Annabeth didn't say anything, because she was watching the Arch as we rode into the city.

"I suppose," Annabeth said.

We pulled into the Amtrak station downtown. The intercom told us that we'd have a three-hour layover before departing for Denver.

Grover stretched and looked half-asleep as he said, "Food."

For a twenty-eight year old Satyr, he acted like a teenager. It was a little unnerving.

"Come on, goat boy. Sightseeing," Annabeth said.

"Do you have to call him goat boy?" I asked.

Percy nudged me, "Be nice. We're cooperating."

I nearly groaned, "What are we supposed to be sightseeing?"

"The Gateway Arch," Annabeth said.

Why did I even ask?

"This may be my only chance to ride to the top. Are you coming or not?" Annabeth said.

Grover, Percy, and I looked at each other.

Grover shrugged, "As long as there's a snack bar without monsters."

I couldn't help but agree with that.

* * *

The Arch was about a mile away from the train station. Since it was late in the day, the lines weren't that long to get in. We moved our way through the underground museum, looking at covered wagons and other stuff from the 1800s. I knew that Percy was bored, but some items from the 1800s were pretty interesting.

Percy had to grab me to keep me from climbing on a wagon, because I had the strange impulse to climb on it.

I tuned out Annabeth's information about the Arch and Grover passed Percy jellybeans, him passing some to me. He took the blue ones.

Percy looked around, "You smell anything?"

"Underground," Grover said, distastefully.

"Come again?" I asked.

"Underground air always smells like monsters," Grover explained. "Probably doesn't mean anything."

I wasn't reassured. Percy didn't look reassured either.

"Guys," Percy said. "You know the god's symbols of power?"

"Yeah?" Annabeth said, looking up from reading about construction equipment.

Percy started, "Well, Hade—"

"We're in a public place…You mean, our friend downstairs?" Grover said.

"For all they know, we could be discussing Greek mythology," I muttered.

"Our friend _way_ downstairs," Percy started, "Doesn't he have a hat like Annabeth's?"

"You mean the Helm of Darkness," Annabeth said. "Yeah, that's his symbol of power. I saw it next to his seat during the winter solstice council meeting."

"He was there?" Percy asked.

"It's the only time he's allowed to visit Olympus—the darkest day of the year. But his helm is a lot more powerful than my invisibility hat or Eric's camouflage jacket. If what I've heard is true…"

"It allows him to become darkness," Grover said. "He can melt into shadow or pass through walls. He can't be touched, or seen, or heard. And he can radiate fear so intense it can drive you insane or stop your heart. Why do you think all rational creatures fear the dark?"

"But then…how do we know he's not here right now, watching us?" Percy asked.

Annabeth and Grover looked at each other.

"We don't," Grover said.

"Yeah, that's reassuring," I said.

"That makes me feel a lot better," Percy said. He looked at Grover, "Got any blue jellybeans left?"

When we saw the tiny little elevator car that we were going to ride to the top of the Arch, Percy paled and grabbed my wrist. He hated confined spaces. He wasn't terrified of them, he just hated being in confined spaces. They drove him nuts. I wasn't a fan of confined spaces either, but less so than Percy.

We got shoehorned into the car with this big lady and her dog, a Chihuahua, that had a rhinestone collar. I found it weird, considering none of the guards said anything about it. We started going up inside the Arch and Percy seemed slightly nauseous.

I grew a little antsy so I started to sing _Wild Side_ by _Mötley Crüe_ under my breath. I was holding onto my bag in a death grip.

"Is she praying?" Annabeth asked Percy, looking annoyed.

"No, she's singing," Percy said, sighing. He was far to used to my quirks.

"What is she singing?" Annabeth asked, genuinely sounding curious.

" _Wild Side_ ," Percy said.

"Why is she singing?" Annabeth asked.

"It calms her down," Percy said.

"No parents?" a woman asked, cutting in. I stopped and looked at her. I was slightly annoyed she interrupted me before I could finish. She wore a floppy denim hat and a denim dress that bulged out. It was kind of gross.

"They're below," Annabeth told her, "scared of heights."

"Oh, the poor darlings," the woman said. The dog growled and the woman scolded, "Now, now, sonny. Behave."

"Sonny," Percy said. "Is that his name?"

"No," replied the woman.

"Well, that clears everything up," I muttered.

We got to the top of the Arch. The observation deck had rows of tiny windows that looked out over the city on one side and the Mississippi River on the other side.

Percy started getting antsy and I was sure that Annabeth talking about structural supports wasn't helping. She started droning on about how she would've made the windows bigger and how she would've made the floor see-through. I don't think people would like a see-through floor.

"Sorry, the observation deck will be closing in a few minute," the ranger announced.

Percy steered me, Grover, and Annabeth to the elevator, which already held two others. There was no room for Percy and me.

"Next car," the guard said to Percy and me.

"We'll get out," Annbeth said. "We'll wait with you."

That would take more time.

"Naw, it's okay. I've got Aria," Percy said. "We'll see you guys at the bottom."

Grover and Annabeth looked nervous, but they allowed the elevator door to slide shut. Their car disappeared down the ramp.

Now it was just me, Percy, a little boy with his parents, the park ranger, and the lady with the dog.

The lady smiled and I could've sworn I saw a forked tongue flicker between her teeth.

I started to whisper to Percy, "Did you—"

The dog started yipping at me and Percy, rudely interrupting me.

"Now, now, sonny," the lady said. "Does this look like a good time? We have all these nice people here."

"Doggie!" the little boy said, "look, a doggie!"

His parents pulled him away.

The dog bared his teeth at Percy, foam dripping. A rabid dog!

I considered swinging my bag at the dog to distract him from Percy.

"Well, son, if you insist," the lady said, sighing.

Did she just call that dog…?

"Um, did you just call that Chihuahua your son?" Percy asked.

"Chimera, dear," the lady said. "Not a Chihuahua. It's an easy mistake to make."

"Oh, our mistake," I said.

Percy nudged me.

The lady rolled up the denim sleeves, showing that her arms were scaly and green. She smiled and her teeth were fangs. The pupils of her eyes were sideways slits, like a reptile's.

The Chimera barked louder and grew with each bark. First it was the size of a Doberman and then it was the size of a lion. It roared.

The little boy screamed, his parents pulling him to the exit. They walked straight into the park ranger, who was gaping at the monster.

The Chimera was so tall that its back rubbed against the roof. It had head of a lion but it had a blood-caked mane, it had the body and hooves of a giant goat, and it had a serpent tail, a ten-foot-long diamondback growing out of its shaggy behind. The dog collar had grew with size and I can read the plate-sized dog tag:

 **CHIMERA—  
RABID, FIRE-BREATHING, POISONOUS—  
** **IF FOUND, PLEASE CALL TARTARUS—EXT. 954**

I didn't even notice that I had pulled my dagger out. We were ten feet away from the Chimera's open mouth. I was sure that if we moved, both or one of us was going to get killed.

The snake lady hissed, "Be honored, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson. Lord Zeus rarely allows me to test two heroes with one of my brood. For I am the Mother of Monsters, the terrible Echidna!"

"'The terrible Enchilada?'" I asked confused.

"Isn't that a kind of anteater?" Percy asked.

She howled. Her face turned brown and green. "I hate it when people say that! I hate enchiladas! And I hate Australia! Naming that ridiculous animal after me! For that, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson, my son shall destroy you two!"

The Chimera charged, its lion teeth gnashing. Percy and I leapt aside in two different directions, to dodge the bite.

Percy ended up next to the family and park ranger, who were screaming now. They were trying to pry open the emergency exit doors.

"Hey, Tiny! Over here!" I shouted, wanting to distract the Chimera long enough for the family to escape.

"Hey, Chihuahua!" Percy shouted.

The Chimera turned to Percy and shot a column of flame at him. Percy dove through the fire. The carpet burst into flames and the heat was so intense, I worried that Percy would've somehow caught on fire.

Where Percy had stood, there was a ragged hole in the side of the Arch. The twisted melted metal was steaming around the edges. Percy had pulled out and uncapped his sword.

"Hey, Barbecue Breath, over here!" I shouted and the Chimera turned, and Percy slashed at its neck. The blade sparked harmlessly off the dog collar. The tail whipped around and sank its spikes into Percy's calf.

"Percy!" I shouted, running to him. The serpent tail wrapped around Percy's ankles and pulled him off balance. The sword flew out of Percy's hand and spun out of the hole in the Arch and down toward the ground below. I hoped that no one stood under the sword. I helped Percy to his feet and had him lean on me for support. We backed up to the hole and the Chimera advanced, growling, smoke curling from its lips. Echidna cackled, "They don't make heroes like they used to, eh, son?"

The monster growled. It seemed to be in no hurry to finish us off. Percy stepped to the edge of the hole. There were people standing under us.

"If you are the children of Poseidon, the water will fly up and grab you two. Jump, Percy and Ariadne Jackson. Show me the water will grab you. Jump! Prove your bloodline."

I was uneasy. The water was too far away. We would die. Well, Percy would probably be dead before we hit the ground.

The Chimera's mouth glowed red.

"You two have no faith. You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little cowards. Better you two die now. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your brother's heart," Echidna declared, smugly.

We backed up and I remembered the warm glow of our father's smile when I was a baby. He must have visited us.

"Die, faithless ones," Echidna rasped. I threw my dagger as hard as I can right into the Chimera's mouth which was turning red. I grabbed Percy around his ribs, and threw ourselves right over the edge and plummeted to the ground below.


	14. We Become Fugitives, Because, Why Not?

Chapter 14: **We Become Fugitives, Because, Why Not?**

* * *

I screamed on the way down.

The ground rushed at us and then the next thing I know; there was a white-out of bubbles. We were now falling slowly, bubbles were trickling up and surrounding us. I saw a catfish that was the size of Gabe, lurching away in the gloom. There were clouds of silt and garbage: beer bottles, old shoes, and plastic bags swirling around us.

Percy seemed to have some revelation that he wasn't dead because he pulled away from my arms.

I realized that I wasn't wet. I could feel the coolness of the water and I looked at my bag. It was dry, along with the camouflage jacket. The dagger that I threw into the Chimera's mouth was back in the bag, like I hadn't thrown it as some lame-ass attempt to kill it.

Percy grabbed a cigarette lighter and flicked it on. It sparked and a tiny flame appeared. We looked at each other and I laughed. It sounded weird. I grabbed a soggy hamburger wrapper, which dried. I handed it to Percy and he lit the wrapper on fire with no problem. He released the wrapper and the flames were put out.

We weren't dead. The thought ran me over. We should've been dead. We should've hit the pavement, but we didn't. It was…a miracle. I imagined a woman's voice, that sounded a bit like our mother's saying, " _Percy, Aria, what do you say?_ "

"Um…thanks," Percy and I said. We sounded like older kids, underwater. "Thank you…Father."

There wasn't a response. There was the dark drift of garbage, the enormous catfish gliding by. There was the sunset on the water's surface, far above, turning everything the color of butterscotch. It would've been a beautiful sight, if the garbage hadn't ruined it. I considered removing the garbage from the water.

I could understand Grover's sadness over the pollution. That poor catfish that had to breath this nasty-ass water.

 _Fump-fump-fump_

I jumped or floated as a riverboat's paddlewheel churned above us, which swirled the silt above us.

" _Percy, take the sword. Your father believes in you two._ "

This time I knew that the voice wasn't in my head. I wasn't imagining it. The voice came from everywhere.

"Where are you?" Percy called. He grabbed my arm and I looked at him. He pointed and I saw a woman, the color of water, a ghost in the current, floating above Percy's sword. She had long billowing hair, and she had green eyes, like mine and Percy's.

"Mom?" Percy and I asked.

" _No, children, only a messenger, though your mother's fate is not as hopeless as you believe. Go to the beach in Santa Monica,_ " the woman said.

Percy asked, "What?"

"Why?" I asked at the same time as Percy.

" _It is your father's will. Before you descend into the Underworld, you must go to Santa Monica. Please, Percy and Aria, I cannot stay long. The river here is too foul for my presence,_ " the woman said.

"But…" Percy started. "Who—how did you—?"

" _I cannot stay, brave one_ ," the woman said. She reached and caressed Percy's face. " _You must go to Santa Monica! And, Percy, do not trust the gifts…_ " Her voice faded.

"Gifts?" Percy and I asked. "What gifts? Wait!"

She looked like she was going to speak, but she was gone.

She said, _your father believes in you._

Percy grabbed the sword out of the mud and capped it. He stuck the ballpoint pen in his pocket. "We have to get up, they might be waiting."

He didn't need to tell me who he was speaking about. The Chimera and his terrible mother might be up there, finishing off that family. The police would have some questions to ask.

"Thank you, Father," Percy and I said at the same time before we swam for the surface.

* * *

We broke the surface right next to a floating McDonald's.

It seemed like a block away, every emergency vehicle it St. Louis was surrounding the Arch. There was police helicopters circling overhead. The crowd of onlookers reminded me of Times Square on New Year's Eve.

A little girl said, "Mama! They walked out of the river."

"That's nice dear," her mother said. She was watching the ambulances.

"But they're dry!" the little girl insisted.

"That's nice dear," the mother said.

We walked and overheard a news lady saying to a camera, "Probably not a terrorist attack, we're told, but it's still very early in the investigation. The damage as you can see, is very serious. We're trying to get to some of the survivors, to question them about eyewitness reports of two people falling from the Arch."

I relaxed at the word 'survivors'. Hopefully the park ranger and family made it out safely. I grabbed Percy's arm as we tried to push through the crowd to see what was going on inside the police tape.

"…an adolescent boy and girl," a reporter was saying. "Channel Five has learned that surveillance cameras show an adolescent boy and girl going wild on the observation deck, somehow setting off this freak explosion. Hard to believe, John, but that's what we're hearing. Again, no confirmed fatalities…"

We backed away, trying to keep our heads down. We had to go a long way around the police perimeter.

There were uniformed officers and news reporters everywhere.

"Stay back!" a officer said as he motioned for Percy and I to step away. We ducked our heads and walked away.

"Per-cy! Ar-ia!" a voice bleated and I felt relieved.

Percy and I turned, getting goat hugged. Grover said, "We thought you'd gone to Hades the hard way!"

Annabeth was trying to look angry, but I think she was mostly relieved. "We can't leave you two alone for five minutes! What happened?"

"We fell," I said. "More like I threw ourselves over the edge of the Arch."

"Percy! Aria!" Annabeth said, "Six hundred and thirty feet?"

"Gangway!" a police officer shouted. The crowd parted and two paramedics were rolling a woman on a stretcher. It was the mother of the little boy. She was saying, "And then this huge dog, this huge fire-breathing Chihuahua—"

"Okay, ma'am," the paramedic said. "Just calm down. Your family is fine. The medication is starting to kick in."

"I'm not crazy. This girl threw herself and this boy out of the hole and the monster disappeared," the woman said and suddenly, "There they are! That's them!"

We turned quickly, pulling Ananbeth and Grover after us. We disappeared into the crowd.

"What's going on?" Annabeth demanded. "Was she talking about the Chihuahua on the elevator?"

We explained to them about the Chimera, Echidna, falling over the edge of the hole, and the underwater woman's message.

"Whoa," said Grover, after we finished. "We've got to get you two to Santa Monica! You can't ignore a summons from your dad."

We passed another reporter, "Percy and Aria Jackson." We froze, "That's right, Dan. Channel Twelve has learned that kids who may have caused this explosion fits the descriptions of two kids wanted by authorities for a serious New Jersey bus accident three days ago. _And_ the kids are believed to be traveling west. For our viewers at home, here is a photo of Percy and Aria Jackson."

We ducked around the news van, and went in an alley.

"We need to get the hell of here," I said.

"I agree," Percy said.

We made it back to the Amtrak station without being spotted, which was a miracle. We got on board the train just before it pulled out for Denver. Night fell as the train trundled west.


	15. We Get Cheeseburgers From a God

Chapter 15: **We Get Cheeseburgers From a God**

* * *

We rolled into Denver on June 14th. We hadn't eaten since the night before in the dining car, somewhere in Kansas. We hadn't taken a shower in three days, and I was sure that it was very obvious.

"Let's try to contact Chiron," Annabeth said. "I want to tell him about your talk with the river spirit."

"How are we going to do that since we can't use phones?" I asked.

We wandered through downtown for about thirty minutes, though Percy and I weren't sure what Annabeth was looking for.

The air was dry and hot. Everywhere we turned, the Rocky Mountains seemed to be watching us.

I started singing _Home Sweet Home_ by _Mötley Crüe_ , but Percy nudged me and muttered something about feeling a little homesick over the song, so I started singing _Smokin' in the Boys Room_ by them instead. Percy gave me a weird look at the song I had picked and snorted, but seemed amused all the same.

We finally found an empty do-it-yourself car wash. We walked toward the stall that was farthest from the street, keeping our eyes open for patrol cars. We were four adolescents hanging out a car wash without a car. Any cop would figure out that we were up to no good.

"What exactly are we doing?" Percy asked, as Grover took the spray gun.

"It's seventy-five cents," Grover grumbled. "I've only got two quarters left. Annabeth?"

I looked in my bag for change.

"Don't look at me," Annabeth said. "The dining car wiped me out."

Percy held out the bit of his change, which was eighty-five cents and one drachma from Medusa's place. He passed Grover the quarter.

"Excellent," Grover said. "We could do it with a spray bottle, of course, but the connection isn't as good, and my arm gets tired of pumping."

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked.

"Yeah," I said.

Grover fed the machine the quarters and set the knob to _FINE MIST_. "I-M'ing."

"Instant messaging?" Percy and I asked. I was incredulous.

" _Iris_ -messaging," Annabeth corrected. "The rainbow goddess, Iris, carries messages for the gods. If you know how to ask, and if she's not too busy, she'll do the same for half-bloods."

"A spray gun can summon the rainbow goddess?" I asked confused.

Grover pointed the nozzle in the air and the water hissed out in a thick white mist. "Unless you know an easier way to make a rainbow."

The way the late afternoon light filtered through the vapor, a rainbow appeared.

Annabeth held her palm to Percy, "Drachma, please." Percy handed it over and Annabeth held the coin over her head, "O goddess, accept our offering." She threw the coin into the rainbow, which disappeared in a golden shimmer. "Half-Blood Hill."

Nothing happened and I looked over my shoulder, wondering if we were being punk'd. I looked back to see that the mist was showing the Big House. Standing with his back to us at the railing was a sandy-haired guy in shorts and an orange tank top. He was holding a bronze sword and seemed to be staring intently at something down in the meadow.

"Luke!" Percy and I called.

He turned, eyes wide. I was sure he was standing three feet in front of me through a screen of mist, except I could only see the part of him that appeared in the rainbow.

"Percy! Aria!" he smiled. "Is that Annabeth, too? Thank the gods! Are you guys okay?"

"We're…uh…fine," Annabeth stammered. She was straightening her dirty tee-shirt, and trying to comb the loose hair out of her face. "We thought—Chiron—I mean—"

"He's down at the cabins," Luke said, his smile fading. "We're having some issues with the campers. Listen, is everything cool with you? Is Grover all right?"

"I'm right here," Grover called. He held the nozzle out to one side and stepped into Luke's line of vision. "What kind of issues?"

A Lincoln Continental pulled into the car was with its stereo turned to maximum hip-hop. As the car drove into the next stall, the bass vibrated so much, it shook the pavement.

"How can someone listen to music that loud?" I asked.

"Chiron had to—what's the noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it!" Annabeth yelled. She looked relieved to get out of sight. "Grover, come on!"

Grover started, "What? But—"

"Give Aria the nozzle and come on!" she ordered.

Grover muttered something and handed me the spray gun, and followed Annabeth. I held up the spray gun to keep the rainbow going.

"Chiron had to break up a fight!" Luke shouted to be heard over the music. "Things are pretty tense, here, you two. Word leaked out about the Zeus-Poseidon standoff. We're still not sure how—probably the same scumbag who summoned the hellhound. Now the campers are starting to take sides. It's shaping up like the Trojan War all over again. Aphrodite, Ares, and Apollo are backing Poseidon, more or less. Athena is backing Zeus."

 _Why is Ares backing Poseidon?_ I wondered. Coming from the fact that Clarisse hates Percy and me…maybe it was because Eric is my friend? I don't know.

The music's volume decreased drastically.

"So what's your status?" Luke asked. "Chiron will be sorry he missed you."

Percy told him everything, including the dreams. It felt good to see the camp, even if it was for a few minutes. Percy talked for so long that the beeper went off on the spray machine.

"I think you have one minute," I said.

"I wish I could be there," Luke said. "We can't help much from here, I'm afraid, but listen…it had to be Hades who took the master bolt. He was there at Olympus at the winter solstice. I was chaperoning a field trip and we saw him."

"But Chiron said that the gods can't take teach other's magic items directly," Percy pointed out.

"That's true," Luke replied, looking troubled. "Still…Hades has the helm of darkness. How could anybody else sneak into the throne room and steal the master bolt? You'd have to be invisible."

I arched an eyebrow at that, looking at Luke. Did he just implicate Annabeth?

"Oh, hey," Luke protested. "I didn't mean Annabeth. She and I have known each other forever. She would never…I mean, she's like a little sister to me."

Annabeth wouldn't like that description, considering her crush on him. The music stopped completely and then the man screamed in terror. The car door slammed and the car peeled out of the car wash.

"You'd better so see what that was," Luke said. "Listen, are you wearing the flying shoes? I'll feel better if I know they've done you some good."

"Oh…uh, yeah," Percy said, trying not to sound guilty or sound like he was lying. "Yeah, they've come in handy."

"They really did," I said, trying to sound like I wasn't lying. "They helped in fighting Medusa." That technically _wasn't_ a lie.

"Really?" Luke said, grinning. "They fit and everything?" The water shut off and the mist started to evaporate. "Well, take care of yourself out there in Denver." His voice faded. "And tell Grover it'll better this time! Nobody will get turned into a pine tree if he just—"

The mist was gone and Luke's image faded away. Now we were in a wet, empty car wash stall.

Annabeth and Grover came around the corner laughing, but stopped when they noticed us. "What happened, you two? What did Luke say?"

"Not much," Percy lied, before I can say anything. "Come on, let's find some dinner."

* * *

We ended up finding a gleaming chrome dinner. We crammed into a booth, and I looked at the families eating burgers, and drinking malts and sodas. I was admittedly jealous of them eating like a normal family and carrying on with their normal lives. They didn't have to worry about monsters showing up and attempting to kill them, or going on a quest, or having to go to the Underworld, not worrying about having to figure out how to get to Los Angeles just to get to the Underworld, and wondering about where they were going to take a shower at.

The waitress came over and looked at us, crammed into the booth. She arched an eyebrow, "Well?"

Percy eloquently said, "We, um, want to order dinner."

"You kids have money to pay for it?" the waitress asked.

Across from me, I saw Grover's lower lip tremble. I was worried that he was either going to burst into tears or eat the napkin dispenser.

There was a rumble that shook the whole diner. A motorcycle the size of a baby elephant pulled up.

Everything went silent in the diner. The motorcycle's headlight glared red, the gas tank had flames painted on it, and a shotgun was riveted to either side of the motorcycle, and the seat was leather, but the leather looked like white human skin. It was unnerving.

The guy on the bike wore a red muscle shirt, black jeans, and a black leather duster, with a hunting knife strapped to his thigh. He wore red wraparound shades. He had a handsome, but wicked handsome face that looked cruel and brutal. He had an oily black crew cut and scarred cheeks. I had the strange feeling that I had seen his face somewhere.

He walked into the diner, bringing in a hot, dry wind through the place. The people rose at once, but the biker waved his hand dismissively at them, and they all sat down again, going back to their conversations.

The waitress blinked and she asked us, "You kids have money to pay for it?"

The biker said, "It's on me." He slid into our booth, which was way to small for him. He crowded Annabeth and Grover against the window. He looked up at the waitress, who was gaping at him. "Are you still here?" He pointed at her and she stiffened. She turned as if she spun around and then walked back toward the kitchen.

The biker looked at Percy and then at me. I couldn't tell, but I was sure he looked at me up and down, as if he was sizing me up. "So you two are old Seaweed's kids, huh?"

"What's it to you?" Percy demanded.

Annabeth started, "Percy, this is—"

The biker raised his hand. "S'okay. I don't mind a little attitude. Long as you remember who's the boss. You two know who I am, little cousins?"

Oh, he's Ares. He had same vicious sneer as his kids from cabin five.

"You're Clarisse's and Eric's dad," Percy said. "Ares, god of war."

He took off his shades. Instead of eyes, there was only fire, his empty sockets glowing with miniature nuclear explosion. "That's right, punk. I heard you broke Clarisse's spear."

"She was asking for it," Percy said.

"Probably," Ares responded. "That's cool. I don't fight my kids' fight, you know?" He looked at me, "I heard that my son gave you his jacket."

I removed it from my bag and held it up, "Yeah. So?"

"That's cool," Ares responded. "He must like you a lot if he loaned you his birthday present."

That was kind of embarrassing.

"What I'm here for—I heard you were in town. I got a little proposition for you," Ares continued.

The waitress came back with heaping trays full of glorious food—cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, and chocolate shakes.

Ares handed her a few gold drachmas and the waitress looked nervously at them, "But there's aren't—"

Ares pulled out a huge knife and started cleaning his fingernails, "Problem, sweetheart?"

I dove straight into the food. I feel a little guilty thinking back on it now because he threatened a waitress, but at that moment, I was a hungry girl. It was junk food and I couldn't be sure when or where a meal was going to come from. I wrote it off as being free food, but still…

"You can't do that," Percy said. "You can't threaten people with a knife."

Ares laughed. "Are you kidding? I love this country. Best place since Sparta. Don't you carry a weapon, punk? You should. Dangerous world out there. Which brings me to my proposition. I need you to do me a favor."

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy asked.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself," Ares said.

"Why? Are you too busy threatening people to do it yourself?" I asked through a mouthful of onion rings. Annabeth kicked me from under the table.

Ares looked at me. "I tolerate your presence because my son likes you, princess. Don't make me become your enemy."

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy repeated.

"I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little…date with my girlfriend. We were interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to fetch it for me," Ares said.

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy asked.

I can feel the heat from Ares's eye sockets from where I was sitting.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley? Because I don't feel like it. A god is giving you an opportunity to prove yourself, Perseus Jackson," Ares snarled.

What's with the full names?

"Will you prove yourself a coward?" He leaned forward. "What about your sister? Is she a coward like you?" He looked at me.

"I will do it," I said, swallowing hard. I crammed a few fries in my mouth and moved to get out, but Percy didn't move. He looked at me and I sat down. At that point, I didn't know why I had just had to do everything I was told, but I later learned why.

Ares looked at Percy, "I see you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

"I know all about your quest, punk," Ares said. "When that _item_ was first stolen, Zeus sent his best out looking for it: Apollo, Athena, Artemis, and me, naturally. If I couldn't sniff out a weapon that powerful…" He licked his lips. "Well…if I couldn't find it, you got no hope. Nevertheless, I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt. Your dad and I go way back. After all, I'm the one who told him my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

"You told him Hades stole the bolt?" Percy asked.

"Sure," Ares replied. "Framing somebody to start a war. Oldest trick in the book. I recognized it immediately. In a way, you got me to thank for your little quest."

"Thanks," Percy and I grumbled.

"Hey, I'm a generous guy," Ares replied. "Just do my little job, and I'll help you on your way. I'll arrange a ride west for you and your friends."

 _Annabeth's not my friend_ , I thought.

"We're doing fine on our own," Percy replied.

"Not really," I muttered.

"She's right," Ares said. "You have no money, no wheels, and no clue what you're up against. Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you something you need to know. Something about your mom."

At the same time, Percy and I said, "Our mom?"

Ares grinned or maybe sneered, I couldn't be sure. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west on Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

"Okay, thank you," I said quickly, before Percy can say something that would inevitable piss the god of war off more.

It seemed like my brain glitched because when I opened my eyes, Ares and his motorcycle was gone.

"Not good," Grover said. "Ares sought you two out. This is not good."

"It's probably some kind of trick," Percy said. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

"We can't," Annabeth said.

"I agreed to do his side-quest," I said. "I can't exactly just ignore it."

"Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune.," said Annabeth, "He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

Percy looked down. "Why does he need us?"

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," Annabeth said. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

* * *

The sun was setting by the time we found the water park. Apparently it had been called: **WATERLAND** but since some letters were destroyed it now read: **WAT R A D**.

The main gate, complete with barbed wire on top, was padlocked. Old tickets and ads were fluttering around the parking lot.

"If Ares brings his girlfriend here for a date, I'd hate to see what she looks like." Percy said and I snickered at that.

"Percy, be more respectful," Annabeth warned.

"Why? I thought you hated Ares," Percy said.

"He's still a god," Annabeth said, "And his girlfriend is very temperamental."

"You don't want to insult her looks," Grover warned.

"Who is she?" Percy asked. "Echidna?" I busted out laughing.

"No, Aphrodite," Grover said, his voice taking on a dreamy tone, "Goddess of love."

"Isn't she married to someone?" I asked.

"Hephasetus," Percy told me.

"What's your point?" Grover asked blankly.

"Oh," Percy said. "So, how do we get in?"

" _Maia!_ " Grover's shoes sprouted wings and flew over the fence, somersaulted in midair and then stumbled on the landing, like he had meant to do that. He turned to look at us, "You guys coming?"

"Easy for you to say," I muttered and had to climb the fence. I held down the barbed wire for Percy and Annabeth, and Percy had to hold the barbed wire for me.

We walked through the park, looking at the attractions. There were huge dry waterslides, tubes, and pipes that curled everywhere, leading down to empty pools. In a way, it was the most beautiful abandoned place everywhere. Visiting Pripiyat was on my to-do list. So I love abandoned places, sue me.

There was Ankle Biter Island, Head Over Wedgie, and Dude, Where's My Swimsuit?

"I bet you love this place," Percy said.

"Shut up," I said. But it was true. I really loved this place so far. I went to look at the Dude, Where's My Swimsuit ride, but Percy had to pull me away because Annabeth found a souvenir shop that had been left open. I wasn't sure how long the park had been abandoned, but there was merchandise still on the shelves.

"Clothes," Annabeth said, "Fresh clothes."

Percy started, "Yeah, but you can't just—"

"Watch me," Annabeth said as she grabbed clothes off the racks and went into the changing room.

I grabbed a snow globe and a postcard as mementos of my visit. I should've gotten something from the other places, but I didn't think of it. At least I have something that I can use to decorate my side of Poseidon's cabin.

Annabeth came out in Waterland clothing.

"What the hell," Grover said, shrugging. He and Percy grabbed some clothes and ran into the changing rooms. I still had my clothes that I had packed, so I went in one of the changing rooms to change.

I was the one who stood out while Percy, Grover, and Annabeth looked like ads for Waterland.

Percy laughed and pointed at me, "You're the outcast."

"Better to stand out than fit in," I replied. I was seriously wondering how long I can pretend that I didn't know these people.

"I suppose that's something outcasts say when they want to feel better about themselves," Percy said. I know that he didn't mean it because he was just teasing me.

"Let's just find the Tunnel of Love," Annabeth said in a tone that suggested that she thought we were arguing.

We left the souvenir shop with Percy muttering 'outcast' at me and me replying with 'walking ad' to him.

"So, Ares and Aphrodite," Percy said. "They have a thing going?"

"That's old gossip, Percy," Annabeth said, "Three-thousand-year-old gossip."

"What does Hephaestus think about it?" I asked.

"He caught them together, once," Annabeth said. "I mean, literally caught them, in a golden net, and invited all the gods to come and laugh at them. Hephasestus is always trying to embarrass them. That's why they meet in out-of-the-way places, like…like that."

There was an empty pool that I know would've been perfect for skateboarders. It was at least fifty yards across and shaped like a bowl.

Around the rim was surrounded by a dozen bronze Cupid statues, which had wings spread out and a bow ready to fly. It was so tacky, it made my eye twitch. Opposite of us, a tunnel opened up which was were the water flowed out to fill the pool. The sign that hung above the tunnel read:

 _THRILL RIDE O' LOVE:  
_ _THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS' TUNNEL OF LOVE!_

Oh good god.

Grover moved towards the edge. "Guys, look."

At the bottom of the pool was a pink-and-white two-seater boat that had a canopy over that was decorated with little hearts. In the left seat was Ares's shield that was glinting in the fading sunlight. It was a circle of bronze.

"This is too easy," Percy said. "So we just walk down there and get it?"

"Never say that," I said. "You might jinx it. Rule of horror movies: ' _Never say this is to easy_ ' or ' _never say it's to quiet_.' You just never say something like that."

"There's a Greek letter carved here," Annabeth said. "Eta. I wonder…"

"Grover, you smell any monsters?" Percy said.

Grover sniffed, "Nothing."

"Nothing—like in-the-Arch-and-you-didn't-smell-Echidna nothing or really nothing?" Percy asked.

Grover looked hurt, "I told you; that was underground."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Percy said and took a deep breath. "I'm going down there."

"I'll go with you," Grover said, although he didn't sound happy at the thought.

"No, I want you to stay up top with the flying shoes. You're the Red Baron, a flying act, remember? I'll be counting on you for backup, in case something goes wrong."

Grover stuck out his chest, "Sure. But what could go wrong?"

"Never say that," I told him. "Another rule of horror movies."

"I don't know," Percy said, "Just a feeling. Annabeth, come with me—"

"Are you kidding?" Annabeth asked, her face was red.

I almost groaned, "Let's go Percy." We got to the edge of the pool but Annabeth pulled me away, muttering something about how two kids of Poseidon could mess things up.

I stood by Grover as Percy and Annabeth made their way down to the boat.

I noticed mirrors that wound all the way around the rim of the pool that was facing the boat.

Percy touched the shield, but Annabeth said something to him.

Gears started grinding, nearly making me throw myself off over the edge of the pool, but Grover grabbed my shoulders, steadying me.

The Cupid statues drew their bows into firing position.

"Guys!" Grover and I yelled at Percy and Annabeth.

The Cupids shot at each other around the rims of the pools. Silky cables followed after the arrows. They arched over the pool, and anchored from where they landed; creating what looked to be a giant asterisk. Smaller metallic threads started forming, making a giant net.

Percy grabbed the shield and they ran up to the pool.

Grover and I grabbed a section of the net and Grover shouted, "Come on!"

Golden threads started wrapping around my hands and I had to let go of the net, trying to shake it off, like I had grabbed a pair of Gabe's underwear from the dryer by mistake. At least the threads were nice enough to fly off my hands.

A section of the cupid's heads popped open and video cameras sprung up. Spotlights rose up around the pool, momentarily blinding me. A voice on the loudspeaker spoke: "Live to Olympus in one minute…Fifty-nine seconds, fifty-eight…"

"Hephaestus!" Annabeth screamed. "I'm so stupid! Eta is 'H!' He made this trap to catch his wife with Ares! Now we're going to be broadcast live to Olympus and look like absolute fools!"

Percy and Annabeth made it to the rim of the pool when the mirrors pulled back and tiny… _things_ made their way out. They looked like wound up bronze spiders. They had spindly legs, little pincer mouths, and scuttled over to the rim of the pool, towards Percy and Annabeth.

Annabeth screamed and shrieked, "Spiders!" She screamed and fell backwards, terrified, and nearly got overwhelmed by the spiders. Percy had to pull her up and dragged her to the boat, as the spiders moved towards them.

They got in the boat and I tried to step on as much of the spiders as I could.

"Thirty, twenty-nine…" called the loudspeaker.

What looked like metal threads started shooting at them.

"What do we do?" I asked Grover, in a shrill voice. "We need to do something! There has to be something for us to do!"

"Fifteen, fourteen," the loudspeaker called.

"Grover! Aria!" Percy shouted. "Get into that booth! Find the 'on' switch!"

Grover started, "But—"

"Do it!" Percy shouted. Annabeth was screaming.

Grover grabbed my arm and dragged me to the control booth. We pressed all the buttons as quickly as we can. I was worried over what was going to happen to Percy.

The voice boomed, "Five, four—"

I really wanted that goddamn voice to shut the hell up.

"Two, one, _zero!_ "

There was a gushing sound and I looked out as the water from the pipes exploded out. It swept all the spiders away as the water slammed into the boat, right over the top of the boat, and carried the now spinning boat away.

"Come on!" Grover shouted, grabbing my arm and dragging me away from the control booth.

"I think they're heading outside," I told him and we ran out of the Tunnel of Love.

We ran around the attraction to the golden gate. Percy and Annabeth were coming straight at the gate.

They shouted and then jumped, right as the boat cracked against the gate. They went airborne—

" _Maia!_ " shouted Grover and he flew in the air as Percy and Annabeth flew over the gate. Grover grabbed Percy's shirt and Annabeth's arm. The momentum carried them over to a photo-board. Percy and Annabeth tumbled to the ground, but Grover's head went straight through Noo-Noo the Friendly Whale's head hole in the photo-board.

Percy had Ares's shield on his arm and I went to help him up, who shoved my hands away while muttering that he was fine.

After that, we went to get Grover's head out of the photo-board and I thanked whoever it was that Percy was okay.

We looked back at the Thrill Ride of Love. The water was slowing down, the boat had been smashed against the gates, and a hundred yards away, the Cupids were still filming us, because they had swiveled around so their heads were on us. The spotlights were on us.

The only thing I can think of at the time?

I threw my arms in the air, doing the 'rock on' sign. I shouted, " _Mötley Crüe_ forever!"

"Show's over! Thank you! Good night!" Percy yelled.

The Cupids turned back to their original positions and the lights shut off. The park went quiet and dark again. There was the faint trickle of water in the Thrill Ride of Love's exit pool.

"I hope I didn't look fat," I muttered.

Percy hefted the shield on his arm and looked at us, "We need to have a little talk with Ares."


	16. We Get a Ride

Chapter 16: **We Get a Ride on the Kindness International**

* * *

Ares was waiting for us in the diner parking lot. "Well, well, you didn't get yourself killed."

"You knew it was a trap," Parcy accused.

Ares gave him a wicked grin. "Bet that crippled blacksmith was surprised when he netted a couple of stupid kids. You looked good on TV."

Percy shoved his shield at him. "You're a jerk."

I caught my breath.

Ares grabbed the shield and spun it in the air. It changed form, melting into a bulletproof vest, which he slung across his back. He pointed, "See that truck over there? That's your ride. Take you straight to L.A., with one stop in Vegas."

I turned to look at it. It was an eighteen-wheeler, with a sign on the back. It was reverse-printed and white on black. It read:

 **KINDNESS INTERNATIONAL:  
** **HUMANE ZOO TRANSPORT**

 **WARNING:  
** **LIVE WILD ANIMALS**

"You're kidding," Percy said.

"There are live animals in there?" I asked.

Ares snapped and the back door of the truck opened. "Free ride west, punk and princess. Stop complaining. And here's a little something for doing the job." He pulled a blue backpack off the handlebars and tossed it to Percy.

Percy opened the backpack and I looked in. There were fresh clothes for all of us, twenty bucks in cash, a pouch full of golden drachmas, and a bag of Double Stuf Oreos.

Percy started, "I don't want your lousy—"

"Thank you, Lord Ares," Grover interrupted, giving Percy a warning look. "Thanks a lot."

Percy looked like he was ready to punch Ares.

I looked back at the diner. The waitress who served us was looking out the window…at us. She was watching us, looking nervous. She walked off and returned dragging the fry cook to the window. She said something to him and he nodded. He up a disposable camera, (I still wonder why he had that with him,) and took a picture.

I can just picture the newspaper headline now. It would probably be something like:

 _TWELVE-YEAR-OLD OUTLAWS BEATS UP DEFENSELESS BIKER_

"You owe me and Aria one more thing," Percy told Ares. "You promised us information about our mother."

"You sure you can handle the news?" Ares asked.

My heart nearly stopped beating and I felt tears come to my eyes.

Ares kick-started his motorcycle and said, "She's not dead."

I almost laughed as I wiped my eyes. She's not dead.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"I mean she was taken away from the Minotaur before she could die. She was turned into a shower of gold, right? That's metamorphosis. Not death. She's being kept," Ares explained.

"Kept?" Percy and I asked. "Why?"

"You two need to study war. Hostages. You take somebody to control somebody else."

"Nobody's controlling us," Percy said.

Ares laughed, which sounded cruel, "Oh yeah? See you around, kids."

"You're pretty smug, Lord Ares, for a guy who runs from Cupid statues," Percy snarled.

I can see the fire glowing in Ares's eye sockets. I felt a hot wind blow back my hair. "We'll meet again, Perseus Jackson. Next time you're in a fight, watch your back." He revved his Harley, then drove down Delancy Street. I watched him and looked at the Kindness International and back at the diner. There were two men in black coveralls with a white logo on their backs. They went up to pay for their check.

"That was not smart, Percy," Annabeth said.

"I don't care," Percy responded.

"You don't want a god as your enemy." Annabeth said, "Especially not that god."

"Hey, guys," Grover stated.

"But, we really should hurry up," I said, pointing at the diner at the two men.

We ran across the parking lot to the Kindness International.

* * *

The smell hit me first, making me recoil. The trailer was dark inside and Percy uncapped his sword, which cast a faint bronze light over a sad scene that made me want to punch those coverall wearing men.

A zebra, a albino lion, and an antelope were being held in filthy metal cages. Someone had thrown the lion a sack of turnips, while the zebra and the antelope had gotten Styrofoam trays of hamburger meat. The zebra's mane was matted with chewing gum, and then antelope had a silver birthday balloon tied to one of his horns that read: OVER THE HILL!

The lion was pacing around on soiled blankets in a space that was way too small for him. He was panting from the stuffy heat of the trailer and had flies buzzing around his eyes. His ribs showed through his white fur.

"This is kindness?" Grover yelled, "Humane zoo transport?" He looked like he wanted to go back outside and beat those two men up with his reed pipes. I wanted to go with him and drop kick them through the damn trailer. Or at least, feed them to the lion.

The trunk roared to life and it was either: sit down or fall down, so we sat on some mildewed feed sacks.

Grover spoke to the animals in a series of goat bleats, but they just looked at him sadly.

"I suggest we break them free of their cages," Annabeth said.

"That wouldn't do us much good until the truck stops moving," Percy said.

"If we freed them, I think the lion will eats us," I said.

Percy must have gotten restless because he got up and looked around, finding a water jug. He refilled the bowls and used his sword to drag the mismatched food out. I went to give the turnips to the zebra, while Percy gave the meat to the lion. Grover and I tried to keep the antelope calm while Annabeth cut the balloon of his horn. I used my dagger, Tidal Wave, to stab that horrid balloon into oblivion.

Percy had to drag me away because he thought I was getting to maniacal.

I was getting tired, because it was a very long day.

"Grover, tell the animals that we'd help them more in the morning," Percy said.

Grover did and curled up on a turnip sack and Annabeth dug around in the backpack pulling out the Double Stuf Oreos. I grabbed one and bit it in half.

We must be halfway to Los Angeles, by now. It was only July 24th. We had plenty of time, but then again, I don't know what to expect, because the gods must've been toying with us. I had the most unnerving feeling that we were being watched and I know I shouldn't have tagged along on this quest.

"Hey, I'm sorry for freaking out back at the water park, Percy," Annabeth said.

"That's okay," Percy said.

"It's fine," I mumbled.

"It's just…" she shuddered, "Spiders."

"It's because of the Arachne story," Percy said. "She got turning into a spider for challenging your mom to a weaving contest, right?"

Annabeth nodded and explained, "Arachne's children have been taking revenge on the children of Athena ever since. If there's a spider within a mile of me, it'll find me. I hate the creepy little things. Anyway, I owe you, Percy."

"We're a team, remember?" Percy said. "Besides, Grover did the fancy flying, and Aria…"

"Did nothing," I muttered.

"I was pretty amazing, wasn't I?" Grover mumbled.

We laughed.

Annabeth pulled apart an Oreo and handed Percy half. "In the Iris message…did Luke really say nothing?"

I ate another cookie and thought about the Iris message conversation we had with Luke.

"Luke said that you two go way back," I said.

"He also said Grover wouldn't fail this time," Percy added.

"And that no one's going to turn into a pine tree this time around," I finished.

Grover let out a mournful bray. "I should've told you the truth from the beginning." His voice was trembling, "I thought if you knew what a failure I was, you wouldn't want me along."

"You were supposed to rescue Thalia, the daughter of Zeus," I said, connecting the dots.

Grover nodded.

"And the other two half-bloods, Thalia befriends, that one who got safely to camp…" Percy started and looked at Annabeth. "That was you and Luke, wasn't it?"

Ananbeth explained, "Like you said, Percy, a seven-year-old half-blood wouldn't have made it very far alone. Athena guided me toward help. Thalia was twelve, Luke was fourteen. They'd both run away from home, like me. They were happy to take me with them. They were…amazing monster-fighters, even without training. We traveled north from Virginia without any real plans, fending off monster for about two weeks before Grover found us."

Grover explained, "I was supposed to escort Thalia to camp." He sniffled, "Only Thalia. I had strict orders from Chiron: don't do anything that would slow down the rescue. We knew Hades was after her, see, but I couldn't just leave Luke and Annabeth by themselves. I thought…I thought I could lead all three of them to safety. It was my fault the Kindly Ones caught up with us. I froze. I got scared on the way back to camp and took some wrong turns. If I'd just been a little quicker…"

"It's not your fault," I said.

"Stop it," Annabeth said, "No one blames you. Thalia didn't blame you either."

"She sacrificed herself to save us," Grover said, sounding miserable. "Her death was my fault. The Council of Cloven Elders said so."

I said, "Just because you didn't leave two other half-bloods alone on the streets? That's jacked-up if they expected that."

"Aria's right," Annabeth said. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for you, Grover. Neither would Luke. We don't care what the council says."

Grover kept sniffling. "It's just my luck. I'm the lamest satyr ever, and I find the three most powerful half-bloods of the century, Thalia, Percy, and Aria."

That was flattering, but I didn't feel powerful.

"Don't put yourself down," I said.

"You're not lame," Annabeth insisted. "You've got more courage than any satyr I've ever met. Name one other who would dare go to the Underworld. I bet Percy and Aria are both really glad you're here right now." She kicked me and Percy in the shin.

"Yeah," Percy and I said at the same time.

I would've said it without the kick.

"It's not luck that you found Thalia, me, and Aria, Grover. You've got the biggest heart of any satyr ever. You're a natural searcher. That's why you'll be the one who finds Pan," Percy said.

There was a deep satisfied sigh and I wondered if he was going to reply to that, but he didn't say anything.

"How does he do that?" Percy wondered.

"I don't know," Annabeth said. "But that was really a nice thing you told him."

"I meant it," Percy said.

We rode along, bumping on the feed sacks and I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, when Percy spoke, "That pine-tree bead. Is that from your first year?"

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Every August, the counselors picks the most important event of the summer, and they paint it on that year's beads. I've got Thalia's pine tree, a Greek trireme on fire, a centaur in a prom dress—now _that_ was a weird summer…"

"And the college ring is your father's?"

"That's none of you—" she stopped, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"You don't have to tell us," Percy said.

"No…it's okay," Annabeth said and took a deep breath. "My dad sent it to me folded up in a letter, two summers ago. The ring was, like, his main keepsake from Athena. He wouldn't have gotten through his doctoral program at Harvard without her…That's a long story. Anyway, he said he wanted me to have it. He apologized for being a jerk, said he loved me and missed me. He wanted me to come home and live with him."

"That's not so bad," I said.

"It doesn't," Percy agreed.

"Yeah, well…the problem was, I believed him. I tried to go home for that school year, but my step-mom was the same as ever. She didn't want her kids put in danger by living with a freak. Monsters attacked. We argued. Monsters attacked. We argued. I didn't even make it through winter break. I call Chiron and came right back to Camp Half-Blood."

"So, will you ever try living with your dad again?" I asked.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Please. I'm not into self-inflicted pain."

"You shouldn't give up," Percy said. "You should write him a letter or something."

"Thanks for the advice," Annabeth replied in a cold voice, "but my father's made his choice about who he wants to live with."

We passed in more silence.

I started, "So, if the gods fight, how bad will it be? Will be like the Trojan War?"

"Will it be Athena versus Poseidon?" Percy asked.

Annabeth rested her head on the backpack that Ares gave us. She closed her eyes. "I don't know what my mom will do. I just know I'll fight next you and Aria."

"Why?" Percy and I asked confused.

"Because you're my friends, Seaweed and Algae Brain," Annabeth said, "Any more stupid questions?"

I handed Percy the camouflage jacket to use as a pillow and I took of my denim jacket to use as a pillow.

"Night, Percy," I muttered. "Don't let the feed sacks bite."

"You too, Aria," Percy said. Somehow I fell asleep.

My nightmare was the same as usual. _Mrs. Dodds dropped a comically high stack of composition notebooks on my desk and dropped four of_ The Vampire Diaries _books right in front of me._

"You will write the books in composition notebooks," _Mrs. Dodds said and cackled. She added,_ "In pen and no wite-out!" _She let out a shriek in triumph and cackled more loudly._

 _I tried moving my arms, but I was stuck and I looked beside me. Percy was there in the desk next to mine, fighting his straightjacket. He looked at me and looked next to the desk next to him._

 _I leaned forward and looked down._

 _There was a girl our age in a straightjacket as well. She had unruly black, punk-style hair, dark eyeliner around her electric blue eyes, and freckles across her nose. She was Thalia, daughter of Zeus._

 _She glared at either me or Percy in agitation._ "Well, Seaweed and Algae Brain? One of us has to get out of here."

 _She was right. I had to go back to that cavern so I can cuss Hades out and shake my fist at him. Or flip him off. Whichever one came first._

 _The straightjacket melted off me and a hole opened up from below and I fell through the hole._

"Percy and Aria Jackson," _the voice said. It sounded cold and evil._ "Yes, the exchange went well, I see."

 _I was back in the dark cavern. The spirits of the dead was drifting around me. The monstrous think was speaking._

"And they suspecting?" _the voice asked._

"Nothing, my lord," _a second voice said. It sounded familiar._ "They are as ignorant as the rest."

 _I looked but I couldn't see anyone, other than Percy, who was looking beside him._

"Deception upon deception," _the pit monster said._ "Excellent."

"Truly, my lord," _said the second voice._ "You are well-named the Crooked one. But was it really necessary? I could have brought you what I stole directly—"

"You?" _replied the monster in scorn._ "You have already shown your limits. You would have failed me completely had I not intervened."

 _The voice started,_ "But, my lord—"

"Peace, little servant," _the monster replied._ "Our six months have bought us much. Zeus's anger has grown. Poseidon has played his most desperate card. Now we shall use it against him. Shortly you shall have the reward you wish, and your revenge. As soon as both items are delivered into my hands…but wait. They're here."

"What?" _asked the servant. They sounded tense._ "You summoned them, my lord?"

"No," _replied the monster._ "Damn their father's blood—they are too changeable, too unpredictable. They brought themselves hither."

"Impossible!" _yelled the servant._

"For a weakling such as you, perhaps," _snarled the voice. Its cold power seemed to turn on Percy and me._ "So…you wish to dream of you quest, young half-bloods? Then I will oblige."

 _The scene changed._

 _There was a vast throne room with black marble walls and bronze floors. There was a nightmare fuel-inducing throne that was made from human bones that was fused together. If I was supposedly the Queen of Darkness, who had a throne line that? However, standing at the foot of the throne was Mom, frozen in gold shimmering light, her arms outstretched._

 _It seemed like Percy tried to step to her, but he couldn't move. He reached out for her, but his hands were turning to bones. Skeletons in Greek armor crowded around us, draping us with silk robes, and wreathing our heads with laurels that smoked with Chimera poison. It was burning into my scalp and I tried to scream with pain. The evil voice started laughing,_ "Hail, the conquering heroes!"

I woke up to feel Percy grabbing my arms, looking nearly wild-eyed. He seemed to relax and I wondered if his arms turning to skeletons happened to me in the dream.

Grover woke up, "The truck's stopped. We think they're coming to check on the animals.""

"Hide!" Annabeth hissed.

She pulled on her invisibility cap and vanished. I grabbed the camouflage jacket, pulled it on, and became one with the surrounding area.

Grover and Percy dove behind feed sacks, in an attempt to look like turnips.

The trailer doors creaked open, sunlight and heat pouring it. The sudden sunlight nearly blinded me and I had to blink repeatedly to get the sunspots out of my eyes.

"Damn!" one of the men yelled. "I wished I hauled appliances." He climbed inside and poured some water from a jug into one of the animals' dishes. "You hot, big boy?" he splashed the rest of the bucket into the lion's face. The lion roared in indignation. "Yeah, yeah, yeah."

For a moment, I couldn't help but think that beating up this man would be so worth going to juvie over. To hell with the quest. This jackass needed a good smack down.

The jackass threw the antelope a squashed-looking Happy Meal bag, that he probably picked off a road. He smirked at the zebra. "How ya doin', Stripes? Least we'll be getting rid of _you_ this stop. You like magic shows? You're gonna love this one. They're gonna saw you in half!"

I really needed to find police officers, because this type of transport couldn't be legal.

There was knocking on the truck.

"What do you want, Eddie?" the jackass yelled.

"Maurice? What'd ya say?" another voice from outside the Animal Cruelty International yelled.

"What are you banging for?" the jackass yelled.

Jackass #2 yelled, "What banging?"

Jackass #1 left the Animal Cruelty International, yelling something that I tuned out. I ran out of the truck, right onto a street that was lined with hotels, casinos, and neon lights. It should be easy to find a police officer. Piece of cake.

I ripped off the jacket and I ran down the street. Apparently it must've been suspicious, or at least I looked suspicious, because a police car pulled up to me. A window rolled down and a police man asked, "is everything okay?"

 _Gee, where should I start?_ I thought and shook my head. I pointed at the truck. "I think that's illegal. I thought it was suspicious because the writing is backwards. I went to investigate because I heard those two jack—I mean men—arguing and went to see what's going on. I saw animals in cages! They threw an antelope a Happy Meal bag that I think they picked up off a street! Look, the truck isn't even vented! Please check it out!"

"Wait, start over," a policeman said.

I went through my story again. The two police officers left the car, right as a zebra majestically hopped over one of the jackasses, before it took off down the boulevard. Somehow I knew that Percy was the one behind it. The two jackasses ran after the zebra.

"Hey!" a police officer shouted. "You need a permit for that!" the two officers ran after the two coverall wearing men.

I ran up to the truck, ready to get in, but the lion and antelope burst out of the truck, running off together in the streets.

Tourists screamed and some took pictures.

"Will the animals be okay?" Percy asked Grover. "I mean, the desert and all—"

"Don't worry," Grover said. "I placed a satyr's sanctuary on them."

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"They'll reach the wild safely," Grover explained. "They'll find water, food, shade, whatever they need until they find a safe place to live."

"Why can't you place a blessing like that on us?" Percy asked.

"It only works on wild animals," Grover said.

"So, that'll work on Aria," Percy said.

"Hey," I said.

Percy smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes at him and shook my fist at him.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Come on, let's get out this filthy truck."

They stumbled out of the truck into the desert afternoon. It was probably a hundred and ten degrees.

They looked like deep-friend vagrants, but everyone seemed to interested in the wild animals wrecking havoc on the streets.

We walked passed the Monte Carlo, the MGM, the Luxor Hotel and Casino pyramid, the pirate ship at Treasure Island, and the small replica of the Statue of Liberty, which made me homesick. I patted Percy on the shoulder, "There, there, Dear Brother, there's no need to make that face."

"I'm fine, Sweet Sister," Percy said. "I would say there's no need to glower, but I'm sure you were born with that face."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Let's keep walking," Annabeth said, looking at us weirdly.

I wondered if she acted like this with her siblings. But thinking back to the two weeks at Camp Half-Blood, they didn't seem quite as close as Percy and me. They seemed more like close friends than siblings. It was kind of weird to think about. Sure, they didn't grow up around each other, but that doesn't mean that they can't tease each other, right?

We must have taken a wrong turn because we ended up in front of a huge neon flower, with the petals lighting up. According to the sign above the top petal, it was the Lotus Hotel and Casino. The door chrome doors were open, spilling out air conditioning and a floral scent that I was sure had to be lotus blossom, even though I couldn't be sure what that smelt like.

"Hey, kids. You look tired," the doorman said, smiling at us. "You want to come in and sit down?"

We must've subconsciously walked up to the casino. The doorman looked normal.

Percy nodded and we walked fully inside the casino.

The lobby was a giant game room. There was an indoor waterslide that weaved around the glass elevator, which probably went up forty floors. On one side of the wall, was a huge bungee-jumping bridge. There were virtual-reality suits with working last guns. There was hundreds of video games, each one the size of a widescreen TV. There were a few other kids playing, but it wasn't that many. There wasn't any lines and there were waitresses and snack bars all around, serving every kind of food that one can imagine.

"Hey!" a man said. He wore a white-and-yellowed Hawaiian shirt with lots of designs, shorts, and flip-flops. He was probably a bellhop. "Welcome to the Lotus Casino. Here's your room key."

I was confused and Percy stammered, "Um, but…"

"No, no," the bellhop said, laughing. "The bill's taken care of. No extra charges, no tips. Just go on up to the top floor, room 4010. If you need anything, like extra bubbles for the hot tub, or skeet targets for the shooting range, or whatever, just call the front desk. Here are your LotusCash cards. They work in the restaurant and on all the games and rides." He handed us each a green plastic credit card.

I took my card and looked at it, confused.

Percy asked, "How much is on here?"

"What do you mean?" asked the bellhop.

"I mean, when does it run out of cash?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, there has to be some sort of limit on this," I said. "So, what is the limit? Three hundred dollars?"

The bellhop laughed. "Oh, you two are making jokes. Hey, that's cool. Enjoy your stay."

We took the elevator upstairs, although I really wanted to play on the video games. There was a street racing game that I really wanted to try out, but I had to tell myself that I needed to check out the hotel room.

It was suite with four separate bedrooms that was complete with a bar that was stocked with candy, sodas, and chips. There was even a hotline to room service. The rooms had fluffy towels, water beds with feather pillows, and a big-screen television with satellite and high-speed Internet. The balcony had a hot tub and there was a skeet-shooting machine and a shotgun, where you can launch clay pigeons at the Las Vegas skyline and shot them with the gun. That couldn't be legal. The view was amazing, because I can look over at the Strip and desert.

Annabeth started to say, "Oh, goodness, this place is—"

"Sweet," Grover said, "Absolutely sweet."

I went to a room and looked in the closet. There were, strangely enough, neon colored clothes already in there and I tried on a red neon shirt, which fit me.

Percy walked in, "the clothes fit you, too?"

I nodded, frowning. "Yeah…strange, right?"

"Yeah," Percy said, and threw Ares's backpack in the trash can.

"Um…" I started.

"I can get a new one at the hotel store, when we leave," Percy said. "I'm going to take a shower."

I nodded and looked through the closet again, as he turned to leave.

"It's pretty strange seeing you wear something other than black," Percy said and left the room.

I found a _Mötley Crüe_ _Theater of Pain_ tee-shirt, the one that has the red lettering on it, in the closet, which I stuffed in my bag. They shouldn't have put that in there, if they didn't want it to mysteriously disappear. I always wanted one of their shirts, but we couldn't afford it, and I didn't want Gabe to destroy something so nice, which he would do.

After looking through the closet and stuffing a pair of pants in my bag, I wasn't sure how long we would be on the road and I wanted a change of clothes, I took a shower, which was amazing after a week of grimy travel. I changed clothes, ate some chili cheese fries from the snack bar, drank some soda, and felt refreshed. I considered taking a dip in the hot tub, which I always wanted to do, but something seemed…off. I tried remembering my dream, but it felt like a fog was wrapping around my brain, sort of like that one time back at…I couldn't remember.

Percy emerged from his room, looking at me, Annabeth, and Grover, who was eating potato chips. I was surprised that he wasn't eating the bag.

"All those stations, and you turn on National Geographic," Percy told Annabeth. "Are you insane?"

"It's interesting," Annabeth said.

Yeah. For nerds.

"I feel good," Grover said. "I love this place."

The wings sprouted out of his shoes and lifted him a foot off the ground, then back down again.

I took out the LotusCash card out of my pocket and examined it. A part of me still wanted to try that racing game.

"So, what now?" Annabeth asked. "Sleep?"

"Well, I want to try that racing game I saw in the lobby," I said. Yeah, that sounded like a great idea.

"Play time," Grover and Percy said.

* * *

Through my weird fog-induced haze, I distinctly remember bungee-jumping like two or three times with Percy before I got bored and left. I remember climbing the rock climbing wall and then running over to do that race car driving game, with a few guys. The race-car game was apparently multi-player and when I won, they groaned, but we continued with that a few more times.

I got bored with that, and went to the waterslide. The lifeguard on duty pointed me to the locker room. I went to the locker room and noticed a booth looking area that had a bored looking woman in it, reading a magazine that looked old. I told her my name and she handed me a key that had a number attached to it. She pointed me to a door that was the girls' locker room and she told me to bring her the key when I was done changing, so she can give it back to me.

I went in the locker room, found my locker, and opened it. There was a neon green bikini, flip-flops, and a towel, which I put on. It was a little strange how it fit me and I briefly wondered why the Lotus Hotel and Casino wanted to turn me into a glow stick. Maybe they thought I needed to wear bright primary colors for a change or something. I put my bag and the towel in my locker and locked it. I walked back to the waterslide and the lifeguard handed me a mat thing to slide down on. I stood behind a girl who wore a neon pink bikini.

Oh, so they wanted girls to look like glow-sticks.

"This is so righteous," the girl told me.

 _The hell did she just say?_ I thought. I said, "Okay?"

"I don't know who's paying this for me," the girl said. "I'm homeless. I just stumbled in here to cool off and they told me I had a room and everything."

"You're homeless?" I asked.

"Well, I ran away from home. I've been here for a month, and it's like they keep expanding this place," the girl said, beginning to look bored.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Rikki," the girl said.

"Next," the lifeguard said.

"Well, see you down there," the girl said. She walked to the mouth of the waterslide, stuck the mat in the rushing water, and sat down. She pushed off and she went screaming all the way down.

 _Who the hell says righteous?_ I thought. Something tickled at my fog-induced brain. She's been here for a month and she didn't know who was paying for her way in?

"Next," the lifeguard said, and I set the mat down in the water, before sitting on it. I pushed off and I went down. There were multiple turns and I couldn't help but scream in delight.

I hadn't had this much fun, since…I couldn't remember. I briefly wondered if this can go faster and almost like it heard me, the water speed up and I splashed into the pool. I went back to the elevator, dripping wet, but exhilarated.

I got back to the top and went again. I think I did the waterslide two or three more times. I saw Rikki, but she must've gotten bored of our conversation and ignored me. I think it was the fourth time I splashed out into the pool and as I went to the edge, and there were three teens standing there, looking slightly panicked.

"What?" I asked them, annoyed.

"We've got to go," the black-haired boy said.

I was confused by him talking to me like I knew him, but it dawned on me that this was my brother, Percy. I almost wanted to throw myself back in the pool and drown myself for momentarily forgetting him. I got out of the pool, "Why?"

"This place is a trap," Percy said as I wrung water out of my hair.

That jarred me a little, but the brain fog wound tighter and I was highly bored already. "So?"

"The quest," Percy said. "Remember? We're going to Los Angeles. We have to find the entrance to the Underworld. We have to stop Hades from causing World War III."

"Okay,' I said.

"We have to rescue our mother," Percy said. That jarred me a little. "Remember our mother? What is her name?"

I had to think about that. Was it Cecile? No…Sally. Sally! That was her name. Oh god. I can't believe I forgot her name. We have to find her.

"Go dry off and get dressed. We have to leave," Percy said. I went back to the locker room and told the lady at the desk my name. Without looking up from her magazine, she handed me the key. I went in and found my locker. I hurriedly dried off as best as I could and put my clothes on.

I left, handing the key back to the booth lady and went to Percy, Grover, and Annabeth.

We went to the exit and the weird Hawaiian Tourist bellhop man ran up to us. "Well, now, are you ready for your platinum cards?"

"We're leaving," Percy said.

"Such a shame," the bellhop said. I got the feeling that he would be heartbroken if we left. "We just added an entire new floor full of games for platinum-card members."

He hold out the silver cards and I instantly wanted one. I knew that if I took it, I would never leave. I'd forget my mother and Percy. I'd be going down the waterslide continuously with Righteous Rikki and ignore all manner of conversation.

Grover reached for the card, but Annabeth pulled him back. She said, "No, thanks."

We walked to the door and the smell of the food got more luring and the sound effects of the games got louder. I thought of food, I can at least go back and get something to eat and maybe go back to the room and sleep in a real bed.

We burst out through the door of the Lotus Hotel and Casino and ran down the sidewalk. It was probably the afternoon, but it was hard to tell because it was stormy and lightning flashing out in the desert.

Ares's backpack was slung over Percy's shoulder, although I clearly remembered him throwing it into the trashcan back in the hotel room. It was probably enchanted too. Percy ran off.

"Where are you going?" I asked and Percy looked in the newspaper stand.

"June twentieth," Percy said.

"What year?" I asked, momentarily worried.

"2005," Percy said, relaxing a little.

"But that means we have one more day to complete our quest," I said, panicking. How can we have been in the Lotus Hotel and Casino for five days, when it seemed like it was an hour?


	17. How Not To Shop For Waterbeds

Chapter 17: **How Not To Shop for Waterbeds**

* * *

Annabeth called down a taxi, while I panicked over having one day to complete the quest. We got in the taxi, although I was forced to sit up front with the cigar smoking taxi driver.

"Los Angeles, please," Annabeth said.

The cabbie chewed on his cigar and sized us up. "That's three hundred miles. For that, you gotta pay up front."

"You accept casino debit cards?" Annabeth asked.

The cabbie shrugged, "Some of 'em. Same as credit cards. I gotta swipe 'em through first."

Annabeth handed him the LotusCash card and the cabbie looked at it. "Swipe it," Annabeth said.

He did and the meter machine started rattling. The lights flashed and an infinity symbol came up next to the dollar sign. The cigar fell out of the driver's mouth and behind him, his eyes wide. "Where to in Los Angeles…uh, Your Highness?"

"The Santa Monica Pier," Annbeth said. "Get us there fast, and you can keep the change."

The taxi never dipped below ninety-five.

* * *

On the way there, Percy and I told them about the latest dream, but the details got foggier that more I tried to remember them. The Lotus Hotel and Casino must have scrambled it. I couldn't recall what the invisible person's voice sounded like, even though I know I heard it before, but it eluded me. I know the person called the pit monster something, but it sounded more like a title.

"The Silent One? The Rich One? Both of those are nicknames for Hades," Annabeth said.

"That throne room sounds like Hades's," Grover said. "That's the way it's usually described."

"Something's wrong. The throne room wasn't the main part of the dream," Percy said.

"That voice from the pit didn't feel like a god's voice, either," I added, looking back at them. Annabeth's eyes had widened.

"What?" Percy asked.

"Oh…nothing," Annabeth said in a rush. "I was just—No, it has to be Hades."

Ever get the feeling that someone was hiding something? Yeah, I just got that feeling. She knows something we don't and she's not coughing it up. That was…frustrating to be honest. Honestly, if you know something, you should speak up and not leave us guessing, and then laugh at us for not getting it correctly.

Annabeth continued, "Maybe he sent this thief, this invisible person, to get the master bolt, and something went wrong—"

"Like what?" Percy cut in.

"I—I don't know," Annabeth said. "But if he stole Zeus's symbol of power of Olympus and the gods were hunting him, I mean, a lot of things could go wrong. So this thief had to hide the bolt or he lost it somehow," Annabeth explained. "Anyway, he failed to bring it to Hades. That's what the voice said in your dream, right? The guy failed. That would explain what the Furies were searching for when they came after us on the bus."

More like came after me and Percy, but whatever.

"Maybe they thought we had retrieved the bolt," Annabeth finished. She was looking pale.

"There's something that you're not telling us," I accused. "What is it?"

Annabeth shook her head, "No, it has to be Hades. It just has to be."

"But if we'd already retrieved the bolt, why would we be traveling to the Underworld?" Percy asked changing the subject.

"To threaten Hades," Grover suggested. "To bribe or blackmail him into getting your mom back."

Percy whistled at that.

"For someone who's peaceful, you have dark thoughts," I said.

"I think he's usurping you on the Reign of Darkness," Percy said, grinning at me.

"Why, thank you," Grover said.

"Anything, the thing in the pit said it was waiting for two items," Percy said.

"If the master bolt is one of these items, what is the other item?" I asked.

Grover shook his head.

We passed a sign that said: CALIFORNIA STATE LINE, 12 MILES.

I thought about the voice in the pit again. It sounded more ancient than the gods. I tried to think about my lessons back at Yancy with Chiron, but my brain seemed, like how I don't like my eggs: scrambled.

I knew the answer, but it was out of my grasp.

The thing was, I knew Hades didn't do it. I don't know how, but I just did. The answer was drop-kicking me in the face, but it was out of sight.

"The answer is in the Underworld," Annabeth said. "You saw spirits of the dead, Percy and Aria. There's only one place that could be. We're doing the right thing."

I doubted that.

* * *

We got to a beach in Santa Monica at sunset. There was carnival rides lining the Pier, palm trees lining the sidewalk, homeless guys sleeping in the sand dunes, and surfers waiting for the perfect wave. We walked down to the edge of the surf.

"What now?" Annabeth asked.

I was shocked. The smart girl is asking us what to do now when it seemed like she was the one leading the quest and not Percy. Or me. I wasn't a part of the quest, even though I tagged along.

I looked back at the ocean. Grover said that I was a powerful demigod. Can I possibly control the whole entire ocean? How can I control the ocean? How can I possibly be the daughter of someone who can control two-thirds of the earth's surface?

Percy stepped into the water.

I frowned and asked, "What are you doing?"

Percy kept walking, until he was up to his waist and then to his chest. My first thought was that he was trying to drown himself, but I remembered that it was actually impossible, and then I remembered what happened it St. Louis and the water spirit's message. Percy turned back to look at me.

"Oh, right," I muttered and stepped into the surf.

"What are you doing?" Annabeth asked, grabbing my arm.

"I just remembered the water spirit's message," I told her.

Annabeth started saying, "There's all kinds of toxic—"

But I tuned her out, (I had a lot of practice with Gabe,) and walked up to Percy. We went under and I held my breath. I tried to inhale water, but I couldn't. I let out a breath and found that I could breathe normally. We walked along the shoals. I could see sand-dollar colonies among the sandbars and for a strange moment, I wanted to own my own sand-dollars, not live ones because it was illegal to own to them. I'm not sure how I knew that, but I did.

Percy pointed at the currents, warm and cold streams swirling together.

Something rubbed against my leg and I almost jumped out of the water. I looked down to see a five-foot-long mako shark. I wasn't sure how I knew what it was, but I did. I grabbed Percy in horror and it looked at me like I hurt it's feelings.

Percy reached over and touched the dorsal fin. It bucked a little and I grabbed it. It bucked once, and I grabbed it with both hands. It shot off, pulling us along.

Great, we hitched a ride on the Shark Express.

We were carried down into the dark waters and it stopped at the edge, where the sand bar dropped into a huge chasm. I looked up and at the surface that was rippling maybe a hundred and fifty feet above us. We should've been crushed by the pressure, but then again we shouldn't have been able to breathe, and we technically shouldn't exist, yet here we are.

"Um…" Percy started and I looked.

There was something glimmering in the dark chasm, growing bigger and brighter as it rose toward us.

A woman's voice that sounded like my mom's called: "Percy and Aria Jackson." She had black hair and a dress that was made of green silk. She was riding a horse-sized seahorse. I almost gasped, because I never saw a seahorse in person before. She dismounted it and the seahorse and the shark swam off, to play together. I looked at the woman to see she was smiling. "You've come far, Percy and Aria Jackson. Well done."

I didn't know what to do, so I curtseyed at her, while I noticed Percy bowed. He said, "You're the woman who spoke to us in the Mississippi River."

"Yes, child," the woman said. "I am a Nereid, a spirit of the sea. It was not easy to appear so far upriver, but the naiads, my freshwater cousins, helped sustain my life force. They honor Lord Poseidon, though they do serve in his court."

"So…you serve in his court?" I asked.

She nodded. "It has been many years since a child of the Sea God has been born. Let alone two, twins, to be exact. We have watched you two with great interest."

I suddenly remembered faces in the waves off Montauk Beach when we were little. It seemed like reflections of smiling woman. I remember drawing faces in the sea when I drew pictures and the teachers' said that I had a great imagination, but I later learned that other kids didn't see faces in waves.

"If our father is so interested in us, why isn't he here? Why doesn't he speak to us?" Percy asked.

"I'm sure that he's busy," I cut in. "Doing Lord of the Sea stuff." I wasn't entirely to sure what that would entail. "And he's probably trying to keep Uncle Zeus from starting World War III." _I hope_ , I added silently.

"Aria is correct," the Nereid said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You are correct. He stands at the brink of an unwanted war. He has much to occupy his time. Besides, he is forbidden to help you directly. The gods may not show such favoritism," the Nereid explained.

"Oh," I replied.

Percy asked, "Even to their own children?"

"Especially to them," the Nereid said. "The gods can work by indirect influence only. That is why I give you a warning and a gift." She held out her hand showing us three white pearls. "I know you journey to Hades's realm. Few mortals have ever done this and survived. Orpheus, who had great music skill; Hercules, who had great strength; Houdini, who could escape even the depths of Tartarus. Do either of you have this talents?"

"Um…no, ma'am," Percy said.

"I like to think I have great talents, but I'm not sure if that's what you mean," I replied.

"Ah, but you two do have something else," the Nereid said. "You two have gifts that you have only begun to know. The oracles have foretold a great and terrible future for you two, should you two survive to adulthood. Poseidon would not have you die before your time. Therefore take these, and when you are in need, smash a pearl at your feet."

"What will happen if we do smash a pearl?" I asked.

"That depends on the need," the Nereid explained. "But remember: what belongs to the seat will always return to the sea."

That makes…no sense.

"What about the warning?" Percy asked.

Her eyes flickered with green light. "Go with what your heart tells you, or will lose all. Hades feeds on doubt and hopelessness," the Nereid said. "He will trick you if he can, make you mistrust your own judgment. Once you are in his realm, he will never willingly let you leave. Keep faith. Good luck, Percy and Aria Jackson." She summoned her seahorse and rode off towards the chasm.

"I wonder how deep that chasm is. Or what's at the bottom," I couldn't help but say to Percy.

"At the river, she said not to trust the gifts," Percy said. "What gifts?"

"I don't know," I said. "The only gifts I remember receiving was the camouflage jacket Eric gave me and the dagger, Tidal Wave. Then Luke gave you the flying shoes and Chiron gave you the pen-sword—"

"Riptide," Percy said.

I looked around, "Where?"

"No, my sword is called Riptide," Percy said.

"Oh," I replied, feeling stupid, looking up again. The sunset was darkening and I started feeling panicked. We had so little time to stop World War III…

"Let's go," Percy said, grabbing my arm. We kicked and swam up to the surface.

* * *

When we reached the beach, our clothes and my bag dried instantly. At least my bag hasn't suffered water damage. We told them what happened and Percy showed them the pearls.

Annabeth grimaced, "No gift comes without a price."

"What harm can the pearls do?" I wondered.

With some spare change that came from the backpack Ares gave us, we took the bus into West Hollywood. Percy showed the driver the DOA Recording Studios slip, but the driver didn't recognize it. However he recognized us. He said, "You two remind me of somebody I saw on TV. You two child actors something?"

"Uh…I'm a stunt double…for a lot of child actors," Percy said.

I froze and blurted out, "I'm a backup dancer for…child singers." I grimaced, wondering why that was the best thing I can think of.

"Oh, that explains it!" the driver exclaimed.

We thanked him and got off at the next stop.

We wandered around for miles, looking for DOA. We even stopped and asked for directions or if anyone heard of it, but no one did. We even looked in the phone book, which took a while to decipher, but DOA wasn't in there.

We had to duck in alleys to avoid cop cars, twice. I wasn't sure why I panicked, but I didn't think them pulling over what looked like to be homeless children was a good idea.

We walked past an appliance-store but I had to stop and look at the TV where Gabe was talking to a news anchorwoman. The woman was interviewing him in the apartment and I almost cringed at seeing garbage that had been pushed to the side.

"Honest, Ms. Walters, if it wasn't for Sugar here, my grief counselor, I'd be a wreck," Gabe was fake sobbing.

Yeah, and I'd bet my bag that Sugar wasn't a 'grief counselor' but his side-girlfriend. I wanted to punch the window at that thought. Honestly, Mom deserved a hell a lot better. Gabe continued, "My step-children took everything I cared about. My wife…my Camaro…I—I'm sorry. I have trouble talking about it."

"Go to hell, Gabe," I muttered, pushing Percy forward before I put my foot throw the window.

"There you have it, America," the anchorwoman said, "a man torn apart and two adolescents with serious issues. Let me show you, again, the last known photo of these troubled young fugitives, taken a week ago in Denver."

I had to double back and look at the photo. It was a grainy photo of me, Percy, Grover, and Annabeth standing outside the Colorado diner, taking to Ares. I had turned to look at the diner, right when the photo was taken.

"Who are the other children in this photo?" the news anchorwoman asked in an attempt to be dramatic. "Who is the man with them? Is Percy and Aria Jackson delinquents, terrorists, or perhaps the brainwashed victims of a frightening new cult. When we come back, we chat with a leading child psychologist. Stay tuned America."

Grover hauled Percy away and Annabeth pulled me along.

When it got dark, people started emerging. I was a little worried. Murderers and other people, like drug addicts, come out at night. Percy stood a little closer to me and eyed everyone suspiciously. I wasn't sure how we ever going to find the entrance to the Underworld, by tomorrow.

We walked by gangsters, homeless people, and merchants, who looked at us, as if wondering if we're worth mugging.

We made it down the street when someone called, "Hey, you," from an alley. I had to stop and look for the voice. We were surrounded by a gang of kids. They were six of them and I looked at them. They were obviously rich white kids. They were like the kids at Yancy Academy; rich brats that were attempting to be bad boys. Percy uncapped Riptide, so when the sword appeared, they backed off. I couldn't tell if their leader was either brave or really stupid, because he kept coming at Percy with a switchblade. I pulled out Tidal Wave, which made him falter. He eyed us and came at me. Maybe he figured the dagger was on even ground or something. Percy swung at him, but the sword passed through the leader's chest, like a hologram.

He yelped and looked at down. "What the h—?"

"Run!" Percy shouted and we ran like hell, down the street.

We turned a corner and Annabeth shouted, "There!"

It looked like one shop was still open and I didn't bother reading the sign.

"Crusty's Water Bed Palace?" Grover said, confused.

"Whatever," I said, grabbing Percy's arm and ran full force to the store. We ran through the doors and behind a waterbed, ducking. I heard the gang running by.

"I think we lost them," Grover said.

"Lost who?" a voice said.

I turned to look. There was a guy that wore leisure suit. I was estimating that he was seven feet tall and he was bald. He had gray, leathery looking skin, thick-lidden eyes, and a cold smile. His shirt was paisley, unbuttoned halfway down his chest, and the lapels on his velvet jacket were very wide, and he had multiple silver chain necklaces. He looked like a used cars salesman on TV. The only thing that was missing was a cigar.

"I'm Crusty," he said with a smile that revealed yellow teeth.

 _It's pretty obvious_ , I thought.

"Sorry to barge in," Percy said.

"We decided to…look around," I said. I looked at framing on the waterbed, "Is this mahogany?"

"You mean hiding from those no-good kids," Crusty grumbled. "They hang around every night. I get a lot of people in here, thanks to them." He looked at me, "And no, that's ebony."

"Oh, my mistake," I replied, resisting to roll my eyes. I'm a daughter of Poseidon, Lord of the Sea; I'm not a daughter of Demeter.

"Say, you two want to look a waterbed?" Crusty asked.

I was briefly confused and then he set his paw of a hand on mine and Percy's shoulders, hauling us up.

"Please let go of my sister," Percy said through gritted teeth.

Crusty immediately released my shoulder at that, but he steered us into what I guessed was the showroom.

I noticed the waterbeds. There were waterbeds with different kinds of wood, different patterns of sheets, queen-size, king-size, twin-beds, and a giant waterbed that was perfectly for an emperor that ruled the universe.

Crusty spread his hands proudly over a bed that had black satin sheet and Lava Lamps on the headboard. Crusty pressed a button and the mattress vibrated, giving the bed a strange affect, like oil rippling.

"Million-hand massage," Crusty said. "Go on, try it out. Shoot, take a nap. I don't care. No business today, anyway."

I was unsure.

Percy started, "I don't think—"

"Million-hand massage!" Grover cried and dove on the waterbed. He lay on his back, "Oh, you guys! This is cool."

"Hmm," Crusty said, stroking his chin, "Almost, almost."

That was worrying. Percy asked, "Almost what?"

Crusty looked at me and then at a bed. "Do me a favor and try this one over here." He led me to a bed that was called Under the Sea. It had a dark blue frame, seashells and starfish pressed along the headboard, and light blue to dark blue sheets. There was a candle holder that had seahorse patterns on it and he pressed a button. The candle holder lit up and different colored seahorses started spinning around on the ceiling. I hesitantly lay down and looked at the dancing seahorses. It was strangely comfortable and almost hypnotic.

He walked away and I heard, "Do me a favor and try this one over here, honey. Might fit."

Annabeth said, "But what—? I don't want to lie down—" and then I heard, "Hey!" I sat up instantly.

I heard Crusty snap his fingers and yelled, " _Ergo_!"

Ropes sprang up and wrapped around my wrists and ankles, holding me down.

"What is this?" I shouted, tugging, but the ropes were pulled tight and I just hurt my wrists. I was an idiot for doing what Crusty told me to do.

Crusty looked at me and then at Annabeth, "Almost, damn it." I turned to look, but I couldn't see anything, beyond the Urban Jungle waterbed. "Whoa, kid. Don't worry. We'll find you one, in a sec."

"Let my friends and sister go," Percy said.

"Oh, sure I will. But I got to make them fit, first," Crusty said.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked.

"All the beds are exactly six feet, see? Your friends and sister are too short. Got to make them fit," Crusty said.

It clicked together. He was going to use the ropes to pull us to make us 'fit' but with the pulling, our limbs will rip off. I started struggling even harder. I tried moving my arm to get my bag to move to my hand so I can get my dagger.

"Can't stand imperfect measurements," Crusty muttered, " _Ergo!_ "

The ropes started tightening and I can feel myself being pulled on.

"Don't worry," Crusty said. "These are stretching jobs. Maybe three extra inches on their spines. They might even live."

"'Might even live?'" I repeated loudly. "Are you insane?" I thought about it, "Yeah of course you are! That's why you're doing this!"

"Your real name's not Crusty, is it?" Percy asked.

"Legally, it's Procrustes," Crusty said.

I'm not entirely sure what happened next, because I ended up focusing on the fact that I was getting stretched to death. I was in pain and deeply worried that I was going to get my limbs ripped off.

The ropes stopped pulling and Percy was there, cutting the ropes, before he went to Grover and Annabeth.

I groaned and sat up, rubbing my wrists, ankles, and back. That hurt like hell. I don't recommend it.

Grover and Annabeth were cursing him.

"You look taller," Percy said.

"Very funny," Annabeth said. "Be faster next time."

"Thanks for getting us out of that," I said sharply to Percy, agitated with Annabeth. What? Would she have a pretty plan than Percy and get us out quicker than him? That's the thanks that Percy gets for getting us out of that situation? I don't know how Annabeth could be ungrateful over not getting stretched to death.

I continued sitting on the waterbed and Percy went to look at something. Once he returned, he said, "Come on."

"Give us a minute," Grover said. "We were almost stretched to death."

"Then you're ready for the Underworld," Percy said. "It's only a block from here."

I groaned. Oh, right, the quest. How did I forget that?


	18. Annabeth Went to Obedience School

A/N: I apologize deeply for the hiatus. I accidentally fell behind on writing and I took a break to catch up on it, so here's chapter 18.

* * *

Chapter 18: **Annabeth Went to Obedience School**

* * *

On the way to the DOA recording studio, Percy gave us a plan. We were to pretend that we died. The DOA recording studio was on Valencia Boulevard. DOA was made out of black marble and in gold lettering above the doors read: _DOA RECORDING STUDIO_. It wasn't that hard to make out because the glass windows lit up. I'm sure that it could've been seen from outer space.

"I wonder what DOA means," I muttered to Percy, looking at the glass doors. I noticed that there was something stenciled on the doors and realized what it was. It was writing, which said:

NO SOLICITING  
NO LOITERING  
NO LIVING

"They're not asking for much, are they?" I asked Percy. He shook his head. "Well, we better get in there if we want to stop World War III." I took a deep breath and walked to DOA. It was nearing midnight, yet the lobby was full of people.

Percy looked at us, "Okay. You remember the plan."

"The plan," Grover said, "Yeah. I love the plan."

Annabeth responded, "What happens if the plan doesn't work?"

I rolled my eyes at that. Would it kill her to give Percy a little more respect? We made it this far, haven't we?

"Don't think negative," Percy responded.

"Yeah, think positive," I added.

"Right," Annabeth replied, sounding sarcastic. "We're entering the Land of the Dead, and I shouldn't think negative."

Percy stopped and took out the pearls that Nereid gave us. I wondered why it was three pearls instead of four.

Annabeth put her hand on Percy's shoulder, "I'm sorry, Percy." She sounded doubtful as she added, "You're right, we'll make it. It'll be fine."

She nudged Grover, who sounded doubtful when he said, "Oh, right! We got this far. We'll find the master bolt and save your mother. No problem."

They didn't have a better plan. Annabeth sure as hell didn't come up with one, considering how Athena always had a plan and all that crap. So she shouldn't sound doubtful.

"Let's whip some Underworld ass," Percy said.

With that as motivation, we walked inside the DOA.

I was instantly hit with Muzak, which made me feel a little bit dead inside. Seriously, they couldn't pick any better music? Was the Lord of the Dead trying to kill everyone with this type of music? I noticed potted cactus growing in the corners of the room. The furniture was made out of black leather, and every seat was taken. I couldn't find a spot on the couch and I noticed that people were standing by the elevator or stared out the window.

It was eerie because nobody moved or talked. It was like they were cutouts and tapped there. I looked at one man, standing by the elevator, but he looked transparent. But from the corner of my eye, I saw him clearly. I also noticed how most of the people were wearing clothes from long ago. The clothing looked like clothing I have seen from old paintings. Some looked newer than others, but that was that.

"Come on," Percy said, grabbing my arm. He dragged me to the security guard's podium. I wouldn't call it a desk, because it was a raised podium. We had to look up at him.

The security guard was black and had blond hair that was shaved military style. He wore sunglasses, (who the hell wears sunglasses inside? Jerks, that's who,) and a silk yellow suite He had a black rose on his lapel right under a silver name tag.

"Your name is Chiron?" Percy asked, looking bewildered.

The man leaned across the desk, giving a smile that definitely wasn't friendly. He said, "What precious young lad." He sounded like he was from Britain, but maybe he learned English as a second language. "Tell me, mate, do I look like a centaur?"

Percy stuttered out, "N-no."

"Sir," the man added.

"Sir," Percy added.

The man pinched his name tag and ran his finger under his name. "Can you read this, mate? C-H- _A_ -R-O-N. Say it with me: CARE-ON," he enunciated his name as clearly as possible.

"Charon," Percy said.

"Amazing!" Charon exclaimed, "Now: _Mr._ Charon."

"Mr. Charon," repeated Percy.

"Well done," Charon replied, straightening up. "I _hate_ being confused with that old horse-man. And now, how may I help you little dead ones?"

Percy looked at me, looking nervous. I said, "We were hoping to go to the Underworld."

I could've sworn I saw Charon's lips twitch. "Well, that's refreshing."

"It is?" Annabeth asked.

"Straightforward and honest. No screaming. No 'There must be a mistake, Mr. Charon.'" He looked us over. "How did you die, then?"

"Oh," Grover said. "Um…drowned…in the bathtub."

"All four of you?" Charon asked, sounding incredulous.

I nodded.

"Big bathtub," Charon muttered, looking impressed. "I don't suppose you have coins for passage. Normally, with adults, you see, I could charge your American Express, or add the ferry price to your last cable bill. But with children…" he trailed off, "alas, you never die prepared. Suppose you'll have to take a seat for a few centuries."

"Oh, but we have coins," Percy said, setting down three gold drachmas on the counter.

"Well, now…" Charon said, licking his lips. "Real drachmas. Real golden drachmas. I have haven't seen these in…" His fingers hovered over the coins.

We were so close, I can almost taste it. It tasted like a foggy morning, a damp cold.

Charon looked at Percy, "Here now. You couldn't read my name correctly. Are you dyslexic, lad?"

"No, I'm dead," Percy said and I really wanted to face-palm at that.

Charon leaned forward and sniffed at Percy, "You're not dead. I should've known. You're a godling."

"We have to get to the Underworld," Percy insisted.

Charon made a growling sound. It sounded deeper than the growl Mrs. Dodds had made back in the museum before she Fury'd out.

The people got up and started pacing. They looked agitated, some lit up cigarettes, some ran their hands through their hair, and some checked their watches.

"Leave while you can," Charon instructed us. "I'll just take these and forget what I saw." He reached for the drachmas.

Percy pulled the drachmas away, stating, "No service, no tip." I could tell that Percy was trying to sound brave.

Charon growled again, which made goose bumps appear on my arms. The spirits started pounding on the elevator doors.

"It's a shame too," Percy said, sighing. "We had more to offer." He held up a bag that he got from Crusty's stash. He took a fistful of drachmas out and let it spill through his fingers.

Charon stopped growling, making a strange purring sound instead. "Do you think I can be bought, godling? Eh…just out of curiosity, how much have you got there?"

"A lot," Percy responded and nudged me.

"Does Hades pay you well enough for all the hard work that you do?" I asked. "I bet he doesn't."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. How would you like to baby-sit these spirits all day? Always, ' _Please don't let me be dead_ ,' or ' _Please let me across for free._ ' I haven't had a pay raise in three thousand years. Do you imagine suits like this come cheap?"

I looked at the suit again, "You deserve a hell of a lot better." I reached in the bag that Percy held open and I placed a drachma down on the counter. "You know you need a little appreciation." I placed a drachma next to that one, as I said, "Respect," and one more drachma was placed on the counter, next to the one I placed down, "and good pay."

Charon looked at his jacket, probably imagining himself in something better and probably more expensive. "I must say, lass, you're making some sense now." He held his index finger and thumb a few centimeters apart as he added, "Just a little."

Percy stacked some drachmas on one of the drachmas I placed down, "We could mention a raise while we're talking to Hades." He took the two drachmas and stacked them.

Charon sighed and told us, "The boat's almost full." I started to panic at that. He added, "I might as well add you four and be off." He grabbed the drachmas and told us to come along.

We followed him to the elevator and a spirit grabbed my jacket, which felt more like cold wind pushing my jacket back. I looked at her and she said something, but her voice was so low that I couldn't understand what she said.

Charon was pushing the spirits out of the way, grumbling, "Freeloaders."

There was another spirit who grabbed onto Percy's and Annabeth's shirts. I think he was trying to hitch a ride with us as we walked in the elevator that had other spirits in there.

Charon grabbed the two spirits and pushed them back into the lobby. He turned to the waiting room, "Right. Now, no one get any ideas while I'm gone. And if anyone moves the dial off my easy-listening station again, I'll make sure you're here for another thousand years. Understand."

 _Oh, god,_ I thought, slightly horrified. Why was he intentionally barring them from passing over?

He shut the elevators doors and put a key card into a slot in the elevator panel. With that we started going down.

"What happens to the spirits waiting in the lobby?" Annabeth asked.

"Nothing," replied Charon, sounding unconcerned.

Annabeth asked, "For how long?"

"Forever, or until I'm feeling generous," replied Charon.

"Oh," replied Annabeth replied. "That's fair…"

Charon raised an eyebrow. "Whoever said death was fair, young miss? Wait until it's your turn. You'll die soon enough, where you're going."

"We'll get out alive," Percy stated firmly.

"Ha," replied Charon.

I started feeling dizzy and I had to grab onto Percy's shoulder for support. We suddenly started going forward and the air turned misty, like stepping into fog, and seeing mist everywhere. I noticed that a woman beside me was now wearing a gray hooded robe. I looked behind me to see that the other spirits were wearing gray hooded robes. I looked at Charon to see that he, to, was wearing a long black robe. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses. He didn't have eyes, they were empty sockets, like Ares's. I got an uneasy feeling, staring the eye sockets and looked away.

"Well?" Charon demanded.

"Nothing," Percy said. He must have been staring too.

The floor was swaying and I heard Grover say, "I think I'm getting seasick." I moved out of his way, just in case Grover threw up. They next I knew Percy, was pulling me away. I blinked and noticed that I was way to close to the edge of a wooden barge. If I took one more step, I would've fallen overboard right into… _what the hell is that?_ I looked over the edge at a black river that looked oily. Through the mist that was coming from it, I spotted bones, dead fish, plastic dolls, crushed carnations, and soggy diplomas…among other things that I couldn't make out. I think I saw a first place basketball trophy floating downstream, though.

"The River Styx," Annabeth murmured, standing next to me. "It's so—"

"Polluted," finished Charon. "For thousands of years, you humans have been throwing in everything as you come across: hopes, dreams, wishes that never came true." He muttered, "Irresponsible waste management, if you ask me."

I wanted to say, _Excuse me for wishing for a unicorn on my sixth birthday_. I looked up and spotted stalactites. I looked forward to see where we're going to go, but there was a strange looking green cloud mist ahead.

 _Poison!_ I thought. Annabeth grabbed my shoulder. I tried shaking her hand off. We were alive, not dead. We were probably going to die by going through that. I stared as the shoreline of the Underworld came into view. There was rocks and black sand stretching inland in both directions. There was a howl of a large animals that came from somewhere in the green mists.

"Old Three-Face is hungry," Charon said. "Bad luck for you, godlings."

The bottom of the boat slid onto the black sand and the spirits began leaving the boat. One woman was holding a little girl's hand. A boy, that was probably the same as Percy and me, shuffled along.

As we started leaving the boat, Charon said, "I'd wish you luck, mate, but there isn't any down here. Mind you, don't forget to mention my pay raise."

Percy was giving me an agitated look, before walking over and pulling my hand away from my mouth. It took me a few seconds to realize that I had been biting the inside of my wrist. The last time I had done that was back at Yancy Academy, when Percy and I hid in that empty classroom after over hearing Grover and Chiron talking about us.

He led me down a path following the spirits.

* * *

When we got to the entrance to the Underworld, it looked like a cross between airport security and the Jersey Turnpike.

Under the huge black archway, that read: YOU ARE NOW ENTERING EREBUS, I noticed that there were three separate entrances. Each one had a pass-through metal detector each with cameras on top of them and I wondered why they had cameras. What was going to happen? A spirit stabs another spirit to…deader than dead? What happens if a spirit dies? Do they regenerate?

I noticed that behind the metal detectors were tollbooths, manned by people in black-robes like Charon.

There was a loud howl, which sounded like it was hungry. I looked for the source, but I couldn't spot it.

I knew that the three-headed dog, Cerberus, was supposed to guard Hades's door, but as far as I know, he was nowhere to be seen.

I looked at the three lines. Two were marked: ATTENDANT ON DUTY, and one was marked: EZ DEATH. The EZ DEATH line was moving at a faster pace than the other two.

"Do you know what these lines mean?" I asked Grover.

"The faster line must go straight to the Asphodel Field. No contest," Annabeth explained. "They don't want to risk judgment from the court, because it might go against them."

"There's a court for dead people?" asked Percy, sounding really incredulous.

"Yeah," Annabeth stated, "Three judges. They switch around who sits on the bench. King Minos, Thomas Jefferson, Shakespeare—people like that. Sometimes they look at a life and decide that person needs a special reward—the Fields of Elysium. Sometimes they decide on punishment. But most people, well, they just lived. Nothing special, good or bad. So they go to the Asphodel Fields."

"And do what?" Percy asked.

Grover spoke this time. "Imagine standing in a wheat field in Kansas. Forever."

"That's a long time," I muttered, "Considering they're dead."

"Harsh," Percy said.

"Not as harsh as that," Grover said, "Look."

There was a couple of black-robbed wearing spirits pulling aside one spirit and were frisking him at the security desk. I couldn't see the face of the dead man.

"He's that preacher who made the news, remember?" Grover asked.

"He's that jackass who stole money for his mansion, right?" I asked. "He claimed that he's raising money for orphanages but then spent it on useless crap." I think I seen him on TV in the dorm room back at Yancy, but my roommate, Kate, wasn't interested in the stuff he preached. She laughed, called him a scumbag, and then changed the channel.

"Oh, yeah," Percy said.

"How did he die, again?" I asked Percy.

"He drove his 'Lamborgini for the Lord' off a cliff in a police chase," Percy said.

"Serves him right," I muttered.

"What're they doing to him?" Percy asked Grover.

"Special punishment from Hades," Grover said, sounding like he was guessing. "The really bad people get his personal attention as soon as they arrive. The Fur—the Kindly Ones will set up an eternal torture for him."

I shuddered at the mention of the Kindly Ones. We're in their territory now…

We got closer to the gates, where the howling was growing louder and the ground was now shaking.

We were about fifty feet in front of the green mist, which now shimmered. Standing on the path that split in three parts when an enormous shadowy monster.

When it moved, it blended in with whatever was behind it. It was semi-transparent, with the only thing that was solid was its eyes and teeth and it was staring at Percy.

Percy's mouth dropped open and he said, "He's a Rottweiler."

I was picturing Cerberus to be something from _Harry Potter_ , but he seemed to a purebred Rottweiler, except he was roughly the size of a woolly mammoth, had three heads, and was mostly invisible.

The dead walked up to him, showing no fear. The ATTENDANT ON DUTY lines parted on either side of him and the EZ DEATH spirits walked right between the Cerberus front paws and right under his belly. I really didn't want to walk under him in case of…accidentally seeing something that I didn't want to.

"I'm starting to see him better," Percy said. "Why is that?"

"I think…I'm afraid it's because we're getting closer to being dead," Annabeth said.

The middle head turned towards us, sniffed the air, and then growled.

"Grover," I started to say as I was beginning to shake. "Do you think that you can tell him _not_ to eat us?" We moved towards the monster and the middle head snarled at us, and then it barked so loudly, my bones seemed to rattle together.

"I don't think humans have a four-letter word that translates, exactly," Grover said, trembling.

"Translates what?" I asked, "Blood? Death? 'I want to crush your bones to dust, drink your blood, and feast on your innards! Die pathetic demigods!'"

"What's _wrong_ with you?" Annabeth asked sounding shrill.

"I'm just overthrowing Grover on the Reign of Darkness," I said.

Percy pulled out a bedpost that he broke off of the Safari Deluxe waterbed back at Crusty's. He held up the bedpost. "Hey, Big Fella," he called. "I bet they don't play with you much." The Cerberus growled at that. In a weak voice, Percy said, "Good boy." He waved the bedpost and the middle head followed it while the other two stared at Percy.

"Fetch!" Percy called, throwing the bedpost somewhere into the gloom. I heard it splashing in the River Styx.

Cerberus glared at Percy, obviously unimpressed with either the bedpost throwing or something else. He was now growling, sounding…hungry.

"Um, Percy?" Grover said.

Percy responded, "Yeah?"

"I just thought you'd want to know," Grover started.

"What is it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Yeah?" Percy asked.

"Cerberus?" Grover started, "He's saying we've got ten seconds to pray to the god of our choice. After that…well…he's hungry."

"Wait!" Annabeth exclaimed, as I started thinking of all the gods I can think of to pray to. However, since we were in the Underworld, only one god mattered.

"Five seconds," Grover said. "Do we run now?"

"See the ball?" Annabeth called and I looked to see that she was holding a red rubber ball. It was labeled: WATERLAND, DENVER, CO. Annabeth raised the ball and walked straight up to Cerberus. "See the ball? You want the ball, Cerberus? Sit!"

Cerberus looked stunned, as I was feeling. All three of his head tilted sideways.

"Sit!" Annabeth called again.

For a moment, I was positive that Annabeth was going to become the chew-toy instead of the rubber ball, but Cerberus's heads licked their lips, and shifted, sitting immediately on a dozen spirits that pass under him. The spirits made muffled hissing noises at they dissipated.

"Good boy!" Annabeth said, throwing the ball to Cerberus.

His middle head caught it. It was barely big enough for him, and the other two heads started snapping at the ball, trying to get it.

"Drop it!" Annabeth ordered.

Cerberus's heads stopped fighting, and looked at her. The ball looked like tiny piece of gum. He made a loud whimper and then dropped the ball at Annabeth's feet. It was slimy and nearly bitten in half.

"Good boy," Annabeth said and picked up the ball. I was disgusted at the sight of the monster spit covering it. She turned to look at us, "Go now. EZ DEATH line—it's faster."

Percy started, "But—"

" _Now_ ," Annabeth ordered, using the same tone that she was using on Cerberus. We moved forward and Cerberus started growling. "Stay!" Annabeth ordered. "If you want the ball, stay!"

Cerberus whimpered, but stayed put.

Grover and I walked between Cerberus's legs, while Percy stayed behind to speak to Annabeth.

We made it through right as Percy walked up.

"Good dog!" Annabeth called, holding up the red ball. She threw the ball and the left mouth immediately snatched it up, only to be attacked by the middle head and the right head moaned in protest.

While Cerberus was distracted, Annabeth walked quickly under its belly and joined us at the metal detector.

"How did you do that?" Percy asked.

"Obedience school," Annabeth said. "When I was little, at my dad's house, we had a Doberman…"

"We have to go," I said. I'll grudgingly admit that I developed 0.01% respect for Annabeth right there.

We were about to go through the EZ DEATH line when Cerberus moaned from all three mouths.

Annabeth stopped and turned to face the dog, who had turned around to look at us. He panted, the tiny red ball shredded in a puddle of drool at its feet. She said, "Good boy." She sounded uncertain. Cerberus's head turned to look sideways at her. "I'll bring you another ball soon. Would you like that?" Cerberus whimpered. "Good dog. I'll come visit you soon. I—I promise." Annabeth turned to us. "Let's go."

Percy, Grover, and I walked through the metal detector, which immediately went off, setting off flashing red lights and screaming, "Unauthorized possessions! Magic detected!"

Cerberus started barking and we ran through the EZ DEATH gates, which set off even more alarms. We raced into the Underworld.

There was a rotten black tree trunk that we ran in to hide.

Grover murmured, "Well, Percy, what have we learned today?"

Percy said, "That three-headed dogs prefer red rubber balls over sticks?"

"That was actually a bed-post," I cut in. "Come on, Perce. Get it right." He elbowed me in the ribs for that one.

"No," Grover said, shaking his head. "We've learned that your brother's plans really, really bite!"

"That's kind of rude," I told him. "We made it this far, haven't we? I don't see any of you trying to come up with a plan. I know I haven't either, but come on."

I heard Cerberus mournfully howling in the distance and I felt a little bad for him.


	19. I Want the Truth

Chapter 19: **I Want the Truth and Nothing But the Truth**

* * *

After leaving the tree trunk, we continued on our way. There was a field a million times that was big, packed with people. There weren't any light and noise. The grass was black and flat because they were stepped on by people. There was a warm, moist wind blowing. There were black trees, which were apparently poplars, growing in clumps.

The cavern ceiling was so high up, that it could've been mistaken for storm clouds, except there were extremely sharp-looking stalactites. I had the paranoid feeling that they were going to fall on us. What didn't help was that several had fallen and impaled themselves in the black grass.

We tried to blend in the crowd, keeping an eye out for security spirits. I had someone come up to me, and spoke, but it sounded like bats twittering. The person realized I couldn't understand them so they walked away.

I felt bad for them.

We followed the line of new arrivals, to the main gates, which was a black-tented pavilion, which had a banner that read:

 **JUDGMENTS FOR ELYSIUM AND ETERNAL DAMNATION  
** _Welcome, Newly Deceased!_

"At least he's welcoming…" I said, looking at the banner confused.

We walked to the back of the tent, which went in smaller lines. To the left, spirits were led by security spirits, who were marching them down a rocky path towards the Fields of Punishment. It was glowing and smoking in the distance. It looked like a vast, cracked wasteland that had rivers of lava and minefields, among with miles of barbed wire that separated different torture area. I had the weird feeling that Eric and his siblings would love the place. Or at least, Ares probably would.

I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the sake, and running through cactus patches. It took me a few seconds to realize that they were naked. Some were even being forced to listen to opera music. There was a figure pushing a boulder up a tiny hill.

The line on the right side led toward a small valley that was surrounded by walls. It looked to be a gated community that looked like it was the only happy part of the Underworld. It must've been Elysium.

I looked to see that there were neighborhoods of beautiful houses from every time period. There were: Roman villas, medieval castles, and Victorian mansions. There were silver and gold flowers blooming on the lawns. The grass was rippling in rainbow colors and there was laughter and barbecue cooking on the lawns. There was a glittering blue lake in the middle of the valley, with three small islands that looked more like a vacation resort. I knew that it was the Isles of the Blest, which was for people who chose to be reborn three times and reached Elysium those three times. I wanted to go there when I died.

"That's what it's all about," Annabeth said. "That's the place for heroes."

It looked tiny compared to the Fields of Asphodel or the Fields of Punishment. It looked like few people did good in their lives, that it was depressing.

We walked past the judgment pavilion and walked deep in the Asphodel Fields. It got darker. The colors faded from our clothes and the chattering spirits began thinning.

After walking, there was a familiar screeching in the distance. In the distance there was a palace of glittering black obsidian and above that were three dark creatures: the Furies.

"I suppose it's too late to turn back," Grover said sounding wistful.

"We'll be okay," Percy said, trying to sound confident.

"Maybe we should search some of the other places first," Grover said. "Like, Elysium for instance…"

"I would be right behind you on that one," I told him.

"Come on goat boy and Algae Brain," Annabeth said, grabbing our arms.

Grover yelped, because his sneakers sprouted wings. His legs shot forward, pulling away from Annabeth. He landed on his back in the grass.

"Grover, stop messing around," Annabeth scolded.

Grover started, "But I didn't—"

He yelped again, because his shoes were now flapping around. They levitated off the ground and dragged him away from us.

" _Maia!_ " he yelled, but the word didn't help. " _Maia_ , already! Nine-one-one! Help!"

I ran for Grover's hand, but he was picking up speed, and skidding downhill.

We ran after him.

Annabeth shouted, "Untie the shoes!"

It was a great idea, but being pulled at full speed didn't seem like it would work. Grover tried sitting up, but he couldn't get close to the laces. He was pulled right between spirits' legs, who chattered at him, sounding annoyed.

Grover looked like he was heading straight to the gates of Hades's palace, but he veered to the right and was dragged in the opposite direction. The slope got steeper, Grover picked up speed, and we had to sprint to keep up with Grover. The cavern walls narrowed on either side, and I realized that we had entered some kind of side tunnel. There wasn't any grass or trees to grab onto, it was just rock and stalactite above.

"Grover!" Percy yelled. "Hold on to something!"

"What?" Grover yelled back. He was grabbing at gravel, but there wasn't anything that was big enough to slow him down. The tunnel got darker and colder, making goose bumps appear on my arms. The tunnel made me think of blood spilling on an ancient stone alter and the foul breath of a murderer.

The tunnel widened in a huge dark cavern with a chasm in the middle. Grover was sliding straight towards the edge.

"Come on, Percy, Aria!" Annabeth yelled, tugging at our wrists.

Percy started, "But that's—"

"I know! The place you both described in your dreams!" Annabeth shouted. "But Grover's going to fall if we don't catch him!"

He was yelling and clawing at the ground, but the winged shoes kept dragging him to the pit. I was worried that I wasn't going to get to him in time.

Grover hit a big rock and the left shoe came flying off. It flew into the darkness, down into the chasm below. The right shoe kept tugging him along, but it wasn't going as fast as it was. Grover grabbed onto a big rock to slow himself down.

We managed to grab him ten feet from the edge and hauled him back up the slope.

The shoe tugged itself off and it circled our heads. To show its displeasure, it kicked our heads, before it flew into the chasm.

We collapsed on the gravel in exhaustion. I looked at Grover and asked, "Are you okay?"

Grover looked scratched up badly, his hands were bleeding, and his pupils turned to slits, the way they did when he was terrified.

"I don't know how…" Grover said, panting. "I didn't…"

"Wait," Percy said, "Listen."

I listened and heard what sounded like a whisper.

After a few seconds, Annabeth said, "Percy, Aria, this place—"

Percy shushed her as he stood up.

The whisper was getting louder, it sounded like a muttering evil voice from far below. It was coming from the pit.

Grover sat up, "Wh—what's the noise?"

Annabeth said, "Tartarus. The entrance to Tartarus."

Percy uncapped his sword, the sword expanded. It was gleaming in the darkness and I pulled out Tidal Wave, the bronze dagger gleaming to. The evil voice faltered and then it started up again.

"It sounds like it's chanting," I said, listening to the words. It sounded like it was very ancient words, older than Greek…

"Magic," Percy said.

"We have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

We dragged Grover to his hooves and we started back up the tunnel as fast as we could. The voice got louder and sounded angry, which made us run.

A cold blast of wind pulled at our backs, as if it was trying to suck us back in. Percy slipped in the gravel and I grabbed his arm, trying to pull him forward.

We struggled forward and we finally reached the top of the tunnel, where the cavern widened out into the Fields of Asphodel.

There was a wail of outrage echoing from deep inside the tunnel. Whatever it was, it wasn't happy that we got away.

"What was that?" Grover panted as we fell in the safety of a black poplar grove. "One of Hades's pets?"

Percy capped his sword and I sheathed my dagger. I noticed how Annabeth and Percy looked at each other.

"I don't think so," I said, putting my dagger back in my bag as Percy put his pen in his pocket.

"Let's keep going," Percy said and looked at Grover. "Can you walk?"

Grover swallowed, "Yeah, sure. I never like those shoes, anyway." He tried sounding brave, but he was shaking as badly as we were.

We turned our backs on the tunnel and headed towards Hades's palace.

The Furies were still circling, high in the gloom. The outer walls of the fortress were glittering black and the two-story-tall bronze gates were wide open, as if expecting us.

Inside the courtyard was the strangest garden. There were: multicolored mushrooms, poisonous looking shrubs, and weird luminous glowing plants. There were jewels that made up the lack of flowers. There were Medusa's garden statues—children, satyrs—all were smiling.

In the center of the garden was an orchard of pomegranate trees, the orange bloom neon bright.

"The garden of Persephone," Annabeth said. "Keep walking."

The smell of the pomegranates was almost overwhelming. I wanted to eat them, but I remembered the story of Persephone. I knew that one bite of Underworld food would ensure that we would never leave. Grover headed for the three and Percy had to pull him away.

We walked up the steps on the palace, right between black columns, through a black marble portico, and right into the house of Hades. To me, this was a lot of black.

The entry hall had a polished bronze floor, which looked like it was boiling in the reflected torchlight. I looked up, to see that there was no ceiling, just the cavern roof.

Every side door was guarded by a skeleton in military gear. Some wore Greek armor, British redcoats, and some had camouflage with tattered American flags on the shoulders. They carried spears, muskets, or rifles. They seemed to follow us as we walked down the hall, toward the big set of doors that was opposite of us.

There two U.S. Marine skeletons guarding the doors. They just grinned at us, holding rocket launchers across their chests.

"You know," Grover mumbled, "I bet Hades doesn't have trouble with door-to-door salesmen."

"Well, guys," Percy said. "I suppose we should…knock?"

Before I could knock on the door, a hot wind blew down the corridor and the doors swung open. The guards stepped aside.

"I guess that means _entrez-vous_ ," Annabeth said.

We walked inside the room. It looked like it did in the dream, except Hades was sitting on the throne.

He was the third god we had met, but he was the one who seemed godly. He was ten feet tall, dressed in black silk robes, and wore a crown of braided gold. He was very white and had shoulder-length black hair. He wasn't bulked up like Ares, but Hades seemed to radiate power. His throne was made of fused human bones. The one next to was shaped like a black flower gilded with gold.

I couldn't help but think that he should've been the one giving orders because he knew more than I did, and he should be my master.

I forced myself to snap out of it. Hades's aura was affecting me.

"You are brave to come here, Children of Poseidon," Hades said. "After what you have done to me, very brave indeed. Or perhaps you two are simply very foolish."

I had the strange feeling that I wanted to lie down and take a nap at Hades's feet.

Percy stepped forward and said, "Lord and Uncle, I come with two requests."

Hades raised an eyebrow and sat forward in his throne. In his robes, I noticed shadowy faces. They looked like they were tormented, as if the robes were made up of trapped souls from the Fields of Punishment, trying to escape.

"Only two request?" Hades said, "Arrogant child. As if you have not already taken enough. Speak, then. It amuses me not to strike you dead, yet."

Annabeth cleared her throat and poked Percy in the back.

"Lord Hades," Percy said. "Look, sir, there can't be war among the gods. It would be…bad."

"Really bad," Grover added.

"Catastrophically bad," I added.

"Return Zeus's master bolt to me," Percy said, and glanced at me, "Or Aria. Let us carry it to Olympus."

That was a bad thing to say because Hades's eyes grew dangerously bright. "You dare keep up this pretense, after what you two have done?"

I was confused. "What?"

Percy looked back at us and then back at Hades. "Um…Uncle, you keep saying 'after what we've done.' What exactly have we done?"

The throne room shook so strongly, that L.A. probably felt it. Debris fell from the cavern ceiling, doors burst open from the walls and skeletal warriors marched in. Hundreds of them, from every time period, lined the perimeter of the room, blocking the exits.

Hades yelled, "Do you think I _want_ war, godling?"

"You are the Lord of the Dead," Percy said, sounding like he was searching for the right words. "A war would expand your kingdom, right?"

"A typical thing for my brothers to say!" Hades yelled, "Do you think I need more subjects? Did you not see the sprawl of the Asphodel Fields?"

Percy started, "Well…"

"Have you any idea how much my kingdom has swollen in this past century along, how subdivisions I've had to open. More security ghouls. Traffic problems at the judgment pavilion. Double overtime for the staff. I used to be a rich god, Perseus Jackson. I control all the precious metals under the earth. But my expenses!"

"Charon wants a pay raise," Percy blurted out.

"Don't get me started on Charon!" Hades yelled. "He's been impossible ever since he discovered Italian suits! Problems everywhere, and I've got to handle all of them personally. The commute time alone from the palace to the gates is enough to drive me insane! And the dead just keep arriving. No, godling I need no help getting subjects! I did not ask for this war."

"But you took Zeus's master bolt," Percy accused.

"Lies!" There was more rumbling. Hades rose up from his throne, taller than a football goalpost. "Your father may fool Zeus, boy, but I am not so stupid. I see his plan."

"His plan?" Percy and I asked blankly.

"You two were the thieves on the winter solstice," Hades said. "Your father thought to keep you two his little secret. He directed you into the throne room on Olympus. You took the master bolt and my helm. Had I not sent my Fury to discover you two at Yancy Academy, Poseidon might have succeeded in hiding his scheme to start a war. But now you have been forced into the open. You will be exposed as Poseidon's thieves, and I will have my helm back!"

"But…" Annabeth spoke. "Lord Hades, your helm of darkness is missing, too?"

"Do not play innocent with me, girl. You and the satyr have been helping these heroes—coming here to threaten me in Poseidon's name, no doubt—to bring me an ultimatum. Does Poseidon think I can be blackmailed into supporting him?"

"No!" I shouted, "I don't think he—"

"I have said nothing of the helm's disappearance," Hades snarled, "Because I had no illusions that anyone on Olympus would offer me the slightest justice, the slightest help. I can ill afford for word to get out that my most powerful weapon of fear is missing. So I searched for you two, myself, and when it was clear you were coming to me to deliver your threat, I did not try to stop you."

I was confused, "How come you didn't try to stop us?"

"Return my helm now, or I will stop death," Hades threatened, ignoring me. "That is my counterproposal. I will open the earth and have the dead pour back into the world. I will make your lands a nightmare. And you, Ariadne Jackson—your skeleton will lead my army out of Hades."

The soldiers all stepped forward and pulling their weapons at the ready.

"You're as bad as Zeus," Percy said, sounding furious. Nothing pissed him off more than being accused of something that he didn't do. "You think we stole from you? That's why you sent the Furies after us?"

"Of course," Hades said, sounding nonchalant.

Percy demanded, "And the other monsters?"

"I had nothing to do with them," Hades said. "I wanted no quick death for you—I wanted you brought before me alive so you might face every torture in the Fields of Punishment. Why do you think I let you enter my kingdom so easily?"

"You call that easy?" I asked.

"Return my property!" Hades demanded.

"But we don't have your helm. I came for the master bolt," Percy said.

"Which you already possess!" countered Hades. "You came here with it, little fools, thinking you could threaten me!"

"But we don't have it!" I yelled, exasperated.

"And we didn't threaten you," Percy said.

"Open your pack, then," Hades ordered.

I looked in my bag, pushing some stuff out of the way, but I didn't find anything. I looked at Percy who was looking inside a two-foot-long metal cylinder, spiked on both ends. It was humming with energy.

"What?" I asked, looking at the cylinder.

"Percy," Annabeth said, "How—?"

"I—I don't know," Percy said. "I don't understand."

"You heroes are always the same," Hades said. "Your pride makes you foolish, thinking you could bring such a weapon before me. I did not ask for Zeus's master bolt, but since it is here, you will yield it to me. I am sure it will make an excellent bargaining tool. And now…my helm. Where is it?"

I looked at Percy and at Hades. I didn't know how the master bolt got in the backpack. I didn't want to think that Hades was the bad guy. We had been played.

"We've been played," I told Percy.

"Lord Hades, wait," Percy said, "This is all a mistake."

Hades roared, "a mistake?"

The skeletons aimed their weapons. There was a fluttering of leathery wings, and the three Furies swooped down to perch on the back of their master's throne. Mrs. Dodds's face grinned at eagerly and flicked their whip.

"There is no mistake," Hades said. "I know why you have come—I know the real reason you brought the bolt. You came to bargain for her." He held up a ball of gold fire from his palm. It exploded on the steps in front of Percy and me. There was our mother, frozen in a shower of gold, at the moment when the Minotaur began squeezing her to death.

Percy and I reached out to touch her, but the light emitted heat.

"Yes," Hades said with satisfaction. "I took her. I knew, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson, that you two would come to bargain with me, eventually. Return my helm, and perhaps I will let her go. She is not dead, you know. Not yet. But if you displease me, that will change."

"Ah, the pearls," Hades said and I felt sick. "Yes, my brother and his little tricks. Bring them forth, Perseus Jackson."

Percy pulled the pearls from his pocket.

"Only three," Hades said. "What a shame. You do realize each only protects a single person. Try to take your mother, then, little godling. And which of your friends will you leave behind to spend eternity with me? Go on. Choose. Or give me the backpack and accept my terms."

I looked at Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, who were looking grim.

"We were tricked," Percy said. "Set up."

"Yes, but why?" Annabeth asked. "And the voice in the pit—"

"I don't know yet," Percy said. "But I intend to ask."

"Decide, boy!" Hades yelled.

"Percy," Grover said, putting his hand on Percy's shoulder. "You can't give him the bolt."

"I know that," Percy said.

"Leave me here," Grover said. He looked at me and then my mother.

"No!" Percy shouted.

"I'm a satyr," Grover said. "We don't have souls like humans do. He can torture me until I die, but he won't get me forever. I'll just be reincarnated as a flower or something. It's the best way."

"No," Annabeth said, drawing the bronze knife. "You, Aria, and your mother can go on."

I knew what I had to do. I wasn't part of the quest. There were three pearls. Grover needed his searcher's license. Annabeth wanted a quest since she was seven. There was me. I wasn't officially part of the quest. Annabeth tagged on and Percy wanted me to stay behind at Camp Half-Blood, choosing Grover, without actually saying it.

"I have to stay here," I told Percy.

"What?" Percy asked, looking at me.

"I have to stay here," I told Percy. "I wasn't supposed to be part of the quest. Annabeth joined and without saying it, you picked Grover, by saying you wanted me to stay behind. I have to stay behind, because this is _your_ quest. Chiron said what better peace offering will it be if a child of Poseidon handed the master bolt over. Grover will get a searcher's license for the safe return of either me or you. I'm not officially part of the quest, so it wouldn't count against him. I _have_ to stay here. Go. Return the bolt."

Percy handed Annabeth and Grover a pearl. He turned to me and our mother, "I'm sorry. I'll be back to get you two. I'll find a way."

Almost sounding a little confused, Hades said, "Godling?"

"I'll find you helm, Uncle," Percy said. "I'll return it for my sister and mother. Remember about Charon's pay raise."

Hades started, "Do no defy me—"

"And it wouldn't hurt to play with Cerberus once in a while. He likes red rubber balls," Percy said.

Hades said, "Perseus Jackson, you will not—"

"Now, guys!" Percy shouted.

They threw the pearls at their feet, and nothing happened. I think I got anxiety at that.

"Destroy them!" Hades yelled.

The skeletons rushed forward, swords out, guns clicking to full automatic. The Furies lunged, whips bursting into flame. As the skeletons opened fire, the pearl fragments exploded with a burst of green light and a gust of fresh sea wind.

I ran like hell out the doors, getting grabbed by the skeletons. The entire palace shook and I was pretty sure that L.A. was in for a very rough night. The skeletons dragged me back in the room and I looked up to see three milky white spheres floating towards the ceiling. For an anxiety-riddled minute, I thought they were going to crash into the stalactites, but they floated through it.

I was dragged up to Hades and thrown to the ground. I grunted at the impact and looked up at Uncle Hades. I really didn't want to know what he had planned for me.

He examined me, "Throw her in my dungeon."

The skeletons picked me up by my arms and led me away.


	20. Mom Makes a Decision

Chapter 20: **My Mom Makes a Decision**

* * *

The two guards threw me through a wall. As in, they literally threw me right through a wall, which became solid as I fell to the ground again.

It didn't have windows, bars, or even a door. I had to unsheathe my dagger to bring in some light. I wasn't sure if this room was airtight, but I probably shouldn't have to worry about that, because I probably would be dead in about fifty minutes to an hour. That is…if Hades didn't find a way to torture me. He'll probably have me write the entirety of the _Song of Ice and Fire_ books in composition notebooks with pen, without Wite-Out, and being forced to listen to every _Mötley Crüe_ album being butchered by horrible covers. I would rather be tortured like that than get hauled to the Fields of Punishment. Maybe Hades will be nice enough to allow me to pick my own punishment.

I sat on the stone floor and wondered if Hades would actually release me. I thought of missing Christmas, missing New Years' Eve celebrations with my mother, missing my thirteenth birthday, never finding out if Alexa and Casey will finally be claimed by their mothers. I was going to miss on a lot of things. I'll never see Percy with a girlfriend…hell, I wouldn't even get a boyfriend. I wouldn't see what it was that Mom said that I was special. I wouldn't even get to read _The Dirt_ by _Mötley Crüe_ , a book Mom said that I was going to get on my thirteenth birthday, because she said I was to young to read it.

In hindsight, I was probably being a bit to melodramatic, but I was stuck in the Underworld, in a windowless and door-less room, I think I was allowed to be a little a dramatic at the time.

It also gave me time to think. The voice in the pit, Tartarus, I think it was called. Annabeth knew what was in it. What did I know about Tartarus? Something about the Big Three chopping someone up? It started with a K or was it a C? Kronos, I think. Yes! It was Kronos. They chopped him up and scattered him in Tartarus.

As I was thinking over this, I noticed that the room had glowed a bit brighter. I looked down, and saw that I was engulfed in a strange golden light, like the light that engulfed Mom. I panicked, feeling a weird, sort of pleasant tingling feeling.

* * *

I blinked and then I found myself standing behind the couch in Ugly Gabe's apartment. Mom was standing next to me, still in her nightdress back on that fateful night, the night that I didn't want to remember. We looked at each other, and I dropped my dagger. I hugged her as tightly as I could. I burst into tears, even though I could hear Gabe, screaming, "What the hell?" at the top of his lungs.

I wanted to tell Mom everything; I was going to when Gabe was saying, "Get away from her, Sally! She's a mad delinquent!"

"No, I'm not," I said, through sobs. Mom was rubbing my back and telling me it was okay, even though she must've been so confused over everything that Gabe was saying.

"Yes you are, you little liar!" Gabe said, "You and your brother blew up national monuments!"

I managed to pull myself together, to calmly say, "That wasn't me and Percy."

Gabe started to threaten, "You can—" then the phone rang. He grumbled something and picked up the phone. He muttered, "Gabe Ugliano speaking."

I picked that as my cue to run straight to Percy's room, dragging Mom along. I weaved my way through used car batteries and kicked aside rotting sympathy flowers. I tossed my bag on Percy's bed and sat down.

"What do you remember?" I asked her.

"The Minotaur," Mom said.

"Mom, do I have some news for you," I said to her. I launched into everything that happened. I was getting up to the part about the hellhound during Capture the Flag, when Gabe waddled in, smoking a cigar. He looked at us and narrowed his eyes at me.

"I thought I told you to pack up your and your brother's belongings and get the hell out of my apartment," Gabe snarled at me.

I made fists, really wanting to pull out my crossbow and threaten him to get the hell out of my mom's apartment, but I doubted that would help make everything better. "You said no such thing!"

Gabe scratched his double-chin as he looked like he thought about it. He looked at Mom instead, "You have a month's salary to work on. You better get back to the shop."

"She just missed a month, _Gabe_ ," I snarled out. "She deserves a break."

"And what about you?" Gabe said to me. "When are you packing all your crap up and leaving?"

"Gabe," Mom said. "Let her and Percy stay here. I will go back to work right now, as long as she stays."

Gabe eyed Mom like she was some all-you-can-eat buffet and then at back, like I was some sort of rat or something. Maybe it was because I hadn't slept in a day and I probably looked like some sort of homeless person, probably.

"I guess she can clean the apartment while you're working," Gabe said.

 _Do you want me to put on a maid's outfit, too?_ I wanted to snarl at him.

"Yes," Sally said, looking at me. Practically begging me to do it, so I can still live there.

I bit back a groan and I reluctantly nodded. "Fine," I managed to spit out.

"And when I get off work, I want to hear _everything_ ," Mom told me as Gabe left the room.

I nodded, " _Everything_."

Mom hugged me one last time, kissed me on my forehead, and got up. She looked at me, before walking away to get dressed to get to work. I looked in my bag and took out Tidal Wave. I stuck it in the inner pocket of jacket, just in case. I didn't want Gabe snooping through my stuff looking for money.

And that was how I spent my day. I spent it cleaning the apartment. It was a pigsty. There was ankle-length of garbage that I was surprised I managed to walk through. The couch was covered in beer cans and Gabe's underwear was on the lamps.

I was itching to snag some money and take a taxi down to Camp Half-Blood, to tell Chiron and the others that I wasn't dead or spending all eternity in the Underworld.

But Gabe was keeping an eye on me as I scrubbed down the counter. He was probably making sure that I didn't grab a steak knife and stab him in the eye with it, which I wanted to do. I also wanted to body slam him through his poker table, but I was sure he would've called the cops. In fact, I wondered why he didn't do that when I appeared in his apartment. Maybe he wanted it to look semi-presentable before he did that, so he wouldn't look like a slob.

The only times he let me out of sight was when he went to go answer the continuously ringing phone. It was also pissing him off more and more, as he angrily shouted at the person on the phone. I think he was also pissed at me showing up too.

I tried taking my time with the cleaning. If I took my time, I would stay there longer and the more time I would waste when Mom would come back home.

"You, girl! Make me a BLT sandwich," Gabe demanded, walking in the kitchen.

I nearly sighed, "Yes, Gabe."

"Don't take that tone with me, or else I will have the cops come in and haul your ass far away from here," Gabe threatened.

I wanted to say that I would rather be far away from this hellhole, but then there was Mom. I just got her back and I didn't want to leave her or have her leave me again.

At that, I got out the ingredients to make Gabe's stupid sandwich.

* * *

"Aria?" I heard Mom call out. It was the evening and I ran out of the kitchen and into the living room to hug her. She smelt like peppermint and licorice. She even had a bag of free samples. It was strange. It had been a month to me, but a couple of hours for her, but I think she felt the month away from her. It was also strange, considering the months we had been apart when Percy and I were in boarding school, but we had exchanged letters.

Gabe walked in and looked at us. "Ah, great, you're back. Go start on some meatloaf, will you?"

I wanted to run him through with my dagger, but I knew that it was going to pass harmlessly through him, so I stomped off to the kitchen with Mom on my heels.

We got out the ingredients and Mom looked around the kitchen.

"You did a good job, Aria," Mom said, sounding sad. "I just wish you weren't forced to clean up after him."

"What can I say?" I muttered, "He's a pig; he might as well live like a pig."

"That's an insult to pigs," Mom said. I couldn't help but laugh. It felt great to laugh again. "Now can you tell me the story of that bracelet that I don't remember giving you?"

I looked down at the crossbow bracelet. It felt like a while since I pulled it out. I think it was back at Medusa's emporium. It looked innocent. I pulled the charm through the hole and it expanded into the crossbow.

Mom gasped and looked at it closely. I pulled the cord and it shrunk back down. "That's not all." I pulled the bracelet on and I took out Tidal Wave. I unsheathed it, a little, to reveal the blade. "This is Tidal Wave. Apparently Poseidon had given them to Chiron to hold onto. Chiron said he kept them for years, not knowing that it was me that was supposed to get the dagger and Percy got the pen-sword."

Mom looked at it, "Can I hold it?"

"The blade won't hurt people like you," I told her, giving it to her.

She held up the dagger, examining it closely. She said, "It's beautiful."

"Yeah, I guess Poseidon does make beautiful weapons," I said, taking it back. I sheathed it again, before putting it in my pocket. It felt strange carrying it around in my jacket than my bag.

Gabe waddled in, "Sally? Aria? Did you two hear what I said? Are you two going to make meatloaf or are you two going to gossip all evening?"

"Sorry, dear," Sally said. "We're going to get started on it right now."

Gabe eyed us, "When is that twerp going to leave?"

Mom sighed, "She's not leaving."

Gabe started, "I thought—"

"If you don't leave right now, your meatloaf isn't going to get made faster," I cut in, growing agitated with him.

Gabe resigned himself to that and left. As Mom and I made the meatloaf and got it in the oven, the doorbell had rang three times, which let me know that Gabe's friends had showed up.

As we made it, I managed to dive farther into my story about what happened. I told her about the arguments Percy and I had over our schedules regarding Cabin Three. I was getting to the point of getting the quest when the doorbell rang again. I could tell Mom was growing worried over Percy. In a way, I was too, because I wondered what happened to him. Did he get the master bolt back to Zeus? With one look out the window, it seemed like the storm clouds were drifting away.

The doorbell rang, and Mom said, "I'll get it."

She went to answer the door, and I heard, "Percy! Oh, thank goodness. Oh, my baby."

I ran out of the apartment to see Percy wearing tattered clothes and looking scratched up. I stood there as Mom cried and ran her hands through his hair.

"We just appeared in the apartment that morning," Mom said.

"We scared Gabe half to death," I added, grinning.

"I couldn't remember anything since the Minotaur, but Aria was catching me up. I couldn't believe it when Gabe said that you two were wanted criminals," Mom said.

"And blowing up national monuments," I added.

"I was going out of my mind with worry all day because I hadn't heard the news," Mom said.

"Gabe forced her to go to work to make up for a month's salary," I spat out.

Percy looked angry at that and told her the story about the past ten days. I added in my version, and tried making it sound less scary when it happened. Percy explained that he, Grover, and Annabeth had gotten to the beach and ran into Ares, where he revealed that he had Hades's helm and helped stole the master bolt. He got to the part where he pulled out his sword on Ares, when Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally, Aria! That meatloaf done yet or what?"

Mom closed her eyes. "He isn't going to be happy to see you, Percy. The store got half a million phone calls today from Los Angeles…something about free appliances."

"He did?" I asked, confused. "I know he was getting some phone calls here, too."

Percy grinned, "Oh, yeah. About that…"

Mom managed a weak smile. "Just don't make him angrier, all right, you two? Come on."

We walked back in the apartment. I had managed to clean most of it, but it was still looking terrible.

Gabe and his three friends were still playing poker at the table.

When Gabe saw Percy, the cigar dropped out of his mouth. He face got red, "You got nerve coming here, you little punk. I thought the police—"

"He's not a fugitive after all," Mom cut in. "Isn't that wonderful, Gabe?"

Gabe looked back and forth between the three of us. He apparently figured that Percy coming home was wonderful.

"Bad enough I had to give back your life insurance money, Sally, and allowed the twerp to overstay her welcome," Gabe growled. "Get me the phone. I'll call the cops."

Mom shouted, "Gabe, no!"

Gabe raised his eyebrows, "Did you just say 'no'? You think I'm gonna put up with this brainiacs again? I can still press charges against them for ruining my Camaro."

"Nobody gives a damn about your stupid Camaro," I said, growing again.

Mom started, "But—"

He raised his hand and Mom flinched.

Gabe had hit her, I realized with growing anger and horror. I didn't know when or how many times he did it. But I knew he did it. It could've been going on for years, maybe when we weren't around. Percy lunged at Gabe, taking the pen out of his pocket.

Gabe laughed, "What, punk? You gonna write on me?"

I went forward, pulling out my sheathed dagger. I couldn't unsheathe it. He was to human for it to harm. And threatening him wasn't going to make anything better.

"You touch me or threaten me, and you two are going to jail forever, you understand?" Gabe warned.

"Hey, Gabe, they're just kids," Gabe's friend, Eddie, said.

Gabe looked at him and in a falsetto voice, mimicked, "'just kids.'"

The other two laughed like idiots.

"I'll be nice, you punks," Gabe said, showing us tobacco-stained teeth. "I'll give you five minutes to get your crap and clear out. After that, I call the police."

"Gabe!" Mom pleaded.

"They ran away," Gabe said, like that explained everything. "Let them stay gone."

Mom took Percy's arm and placed her arm around my shoulder, "Please, you two. Come on. We'll go to Percy's room."

I allowed her to drag me away.

"Gabe is just upset, honey," Mom told Percy, like that explained everything. "I'll talk to him later. I'm sure it will work out."

"It'll never work out. Gabe's here, screwing up everything," I said.

"Not as long as Gabe's here," Percy added.

Mom wrung her hands, "I can…I'll take you two to work with me for the rest of the summer. In the fall, maybe there's another boarding school—"

"Mom," Percy said.

Mom lowered her head, "I'm trying, Percy. I just…I need some time."

A package appeared on the bed. At least, it could've been there the whole time and I somehow overlooked it. It was a battered cardboard box and the address on the mailing slip was in Percy's handwriting.

 _The Gods_

 _Mount Olympus  
_ _600_ _th_ _Floor,  
_ _Empire State Building  
_ _New York, NY_

 _With best Wishes,  
_ _Percy and Aria Jackson_

Over the top, written in black marker was the address of our apartment, and the words: RETURN TO SENDER. I looked at the box again. I remembered that it contained Medusa's head. Why would they return it to us? What were we going to do with a head?

Percy looked at Mom, "Mom, do you want Gabe gone?"

Mom started, "Percy, it isn't that simple. I—"

"Mom, just tell us," Percy said, "That jerk has been hitting you. Do you want him gone or not?"

"I do," I muttered.

Mom seemed to hesitate and nodded, "Yes, Percy, I do. And I'm trying to get up my courage to tell him. But you," she looked at me, "Or you, can't do this for me. You two can't solve my problems."

Percy and I looked at the box. I wanted to slice the box open, and take Medusa's head out in the living room.

I looked at Percy, who shook his head at me. He looked at Mom. "I can do it. One look inside this box, and he'll never bother you again."

Mom looked at the box. "No, Percy." She stepped away, "You can't."

"Poseidon called you a queen," Percy said. "He said he hadn't met a woman like you in thousand years."

Mom's cheeks reddened, "Percy—"

"You deserve better than this, Mom," Percy said.

"Percy's right," I said. "You should go to college."

"Get your degree," Percy finished. "You can write your novel."

"Maybe even meet a decent guy, who treats you the way you deserve," I said.

"And live in a nice house," Percy said. "You don't need to protect us anymore by staying with Gabe."

"Yeah, I think Percy and I can defend ourselves now," I said.

"Let me get rid of Gabe," Percy said.

Mom wiped a tear off her cheek. "You two sound so much like your father. He offered to stop the tide for me once. He offered to build me a palace at the bottom of the sea. He thought he could solve all my problems with a wave of his hand."

"And what's wrong with that?" I asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" Percy asked.

Mom's multicolored eyes looked at us. "I think you two know. I think you're both enough like me to understand. If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. I can't let a god take care of me…or my children. I have to…find the courage on my own. Your quest, the one that Aria talked herself on…has reminded me of that."

There was a pause, and we heard poker chips clacking together and swearing. I could even hear ESPN blaring.

"We'll leave the box," Percy said. "If he threatens you…"

Mom looked pale but she nodded, "Where will you two go?"

"Half-Blood Hill," Percy said. I nodded in agreement.

"For the summer…" Mom started, and swallowed, "or forever."

"I don't know," I said, "Maybe for the summer." I nudged Percy.

"I guess that depends," Percy said. He and Mom looked at each other and I figured that they agreed to see how things were going to be at the end of the summer.

Mom kissed Percy's forehead and then mine. "You two will be heroes. You two will be the greatest of all."

I think she was just being nice and telling me that, because most mothers said stuff like to their children. 'You're going to be a great doctor, someday,' type of stuff, but the sentiment made me feel better. Especially since I hadn't gotten to see Poseidon like Percy apparently did.

We looked around the room, I grabbed my bag, and we walked with Mom to the front door.

"Leaving so soon, punks?" Gabe called after us. "Good riddance."

I wanted to get revenge on him, but I knew that she was right. There was things that one had to do on their own.

"Hey, Sally!" Gabe yelled, "What about that meatloaf, huh?"

I looked at Mom and I saw that she looked a bit angry, but then she looked at us and winked.

Percy and I left the hallway and the door closed.

The last bit of Mom, I saw was that it looked like she was seriously thinking how Gabe would look as a statue.


	21. Of Course a Prophecy Comes True

Chapter 21: **Of Course a Prophecy Has To Come True**

* * *

On the way to Camp Half-Blood, Percy explained to me what Olympus looked like, what Poseidon looked like, and the conversation they had.

"Did he really tell you that Mom was like a queen?" I mumbled. I was feeling a little left out.

"Yes, but he said that you were a true daughter of Poseidon," Percy said.

I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but it did make me feel better.

"He also said that it stupid of you to stay behind like that," Percy added.

I elbowed him in the ribs, "Shut up. He did _not_ say that."

"All right, he didn't," Percy said, laughing.

* * *

It was strange, being back at camp. Apparently we were the first demigods to return from a quest alive, since Luke. So, the camp treated us as if we won some sort of famous celebrities.

According to camp tradition, we had to wear laurel wreaths to a big feast that was prepared in our honor, and then led a procession down to the bonfire where we got to burn burial shrouds that our cabins made for us in our absence.

Considering that I was Percy's cabin mate and I went with him; Casey, Alexa, and Eric made me a shroud, which was sea blue and had two crossed tridents in the middle. I think Percy was jealous over my shroud, because his was an old bed-sheet and had painted on smiley with X'ed out eyes around the border. It had the word LOSER pained really big in the middle.

Eric, Alexa, and Casey had apologized to Percy because they were going to make him one, but Clarisse and the others got to it. Apparently they hadn't exactly forgiven him on embarrassing their dad and I think Eric was sort of at war with that himself. Percy looked eager to burn his shroud. I didn't blame him.

Annabeth's shroud was beautiful, gray silk with embroidered owls on it. Percy had said that it was a shame not to bury her in it, which resulted in her punching him in the arm.

Apollo's cabin led the sing-along and passed out s'mores. I was telling Alexa, Casey, and Eric about the quest I had been on and how I had been thrown in Hades's dungeon.

I looked at Percy who was surrounded by our old Hermes cabin-mates. Annabeth's half-sibling from Athena and Grover's fellow satyr buddies were admiring the brand-new searcher's license he had received from the Council of Cloven Elders.

It seemed like the only ones that weren't happy were Clarisse and her half-siblings, who were giving Percy death-glares.

"Don't worry about them," Eric said, pulling at a loose thread on his fingerless gloves.

"Why do you always wear those?" I asked him.

"I don't always wear them," Eric said. He had seemed surprised that I had handed him the camouflage jacket back, in one piece.

"Really?" Alexa replied, sounding incredulous. "You always wear them during canoe races."

"It really isn't important," Eric said, shrugging, pulling the thread off on his fingerless gloves.

* * *

Percy and I returned back to cabin three. I had placed the snow globe I got from the abandoned water park on my bedside table. I got in the top bunk and I listened to the sea, wondering if his was proud for what we'd done.

"He did say that he was proud of us," Percy said, as if knowing what I was thinking.

I nodded and asked, "What did he look like?" I know I asked that previously, but I wanted to hear it again.

"Like a stereotypical fishermen, like in cartoons," Percy said.

I looked at him, confused. He explained that Poseidon wore leather sandals, Bermuda shorts, and a shirt that had parrots and coconuts all over it. Apparently he had black hair and sea foam green eyes like us, and had a brooding look that made him look like a rebel, but he had crinkles around his eyes that looked like he smiled a lot.

* * *

A week later, Mom sent us a letter that said that Gabe had mysteriously left, like he had disappeared off the face of the planet. She had reported him missing, but she had a funny feeling that they would never find him.

On an unrelated subject, she sold her first life-size concrete sculpture, which was called: _The Poker Player_ , to a collector through an art gallery in Soho. She had received so much money that she put a deposit down on a two bedroom apartment, but I was fine with the living room. She even made a payment on her first semester's tuition at NYU. The Soho gallery was clamoring for more work, but Mom said that she was done with sculpture work. She had disposed the box of tools that we had given her and decided that she was going to start writing. I couldn't help but wonder what she had done with Medusa's head.

As a P.S. she said that she found us a good private school in the city for us. She said that she placed a deposit down to hold Percy a spot in case he wanted to enroll for seventh grade. We could live at home. But she said that if Percy wanted to stay year-round at Half-Blood Hill, she would understand.

Percy folded the note and set it on his bedside table. I knew that every night he reads it before going to sleep. He asked me what he should do, but I told him that it was his decision to make.

* * *

On the Fourth of July, we gathered at the beach for the fireworks display by cabin nine. Since they were Hephaestus's kids, they weren't going to settle for the usual fireworks, so they had anchored a barge offshore and loaded it with rocket.

Annabeth told us that the blasts would be sequenced so tightly that they'd look like frames of animation right across the sky. The finale was supposed to be a couple of hundred-foot-tall Spartan warriors that would fight a battle, and then explode in colors.

Alexa, Casey, Eric, and I were laying out a picnic blanket next to Annabeth's and Percy's, when Grover showed up. He was dressed in his usual jeans, tee-shirt, and sneakers. In the last few weeks, he started looking older, almost high-school age. His goatee had gotten thicker, he had put on some weight, and his horns had grown at least an inch. Now he had to wear his rasta hat all the time to pass off as human.

"I'm off," Grover said. "I just came to say…well, you know."

I felt happy for him; after all, it wasn't every day a satyr had gotten permission to look for Pan. "Good luck, Grover. Stay safe."

Annabeth gave Grover a hug and said, "Keep your fake feet on."

"Good luck," Casey said.

"Yeah, good luck," Alexa said.

"Good luck," Eric echoed Casey.

"Where are you going to search first?" Percy asked.

"Kind of a secret," Grover said, looking embarrassed. "I wish you could come with me, guys, but humans and Pan…"

Casey looked happy, "Really?"

"We understand," Annabeth said. "You got enough tin cans for the trip?"

"Yeah," Grover replied.

Annabeth asked, "And you remembered your reed pipes?"

"Do you remember any path finding songs?" Alexa asked.

Eric asked, "Any tree attacking songs?"

Casey added, "Or any apple tossing songs?"

"Jeez, you four," Grover said. "You sound like old mama goats."

Eric arched an eyebrow at that.

Grover didn't sound annoyed by them worrying over him, though. He gripped a walking stick and tossed his backpack over his shoulder, looking like a hitchhiker. Grover said, "Well, wish me luck."

"I do," Alexa said, "Even though I barely know you. I think I may have accidentally hit you with that volleyball last year."

Casey and Eric nodded at Grover.

He gave Annabeth another hug and then hugged me. I awkwardly patted him on the shoulder and then Grover clapped Percy on the shoulder. He shook Casey's, Alexa's, and Eric's hands, before he walked through the dunes and then fireworks exploded overheard. It looked like Hercules was killing the Nemean lion, Artemis chasing the boar, and George Washington crossing the Delaware.

I was confused and asked, "Why is George Washington crossing the Delaware?"

"He's a son of Athena," Annabeth said.

"Hey, Grover," Percy called.

Grover was at the edge of the woods and turned to look back at him. "Wherever you're going—I hope they make good enchiladas." Grover grinned and then walked in the woods.

"I feel sad seeing him go," Casey said. "I don't know him that well, but I feel sad."

"We'll see him again," Annabeth said.

"I hope so," I muttered.

* * *

July passed. Percy and I spent our days coming up with strategies for the Capture the Flag. We tried making alliances with the other cabins to keep the banner from Ares.

Percy had climbed to the top of the climbing wall for the first time without getting scorched by lava. I had managed to get to the top without ripping my jeans and burning my hair.

From time to time, I'd look up at the Big House, look at the attic windows, and think about the prophecy.

 _You shall go west, and face the god who has turned._

We did that, even though Percy faced the god that turned, who turned out to be Ares.

 _You shall find what was stolen, and see if safe returned._

Percy did that and one helm of darkness back to Hades.

 _You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend._

I didn't know who that was. I couldn't see Alexa or Casey betraying us. I couldn't picture Eric betraying me either.

 _And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end._

I didn't save the master bolt and I didn't return it, even though I thought that was the most important thing at the time. It wasn't my quest after all. I was just a tag along.

I was still feeling a little uneasy.

* * *

On the last night of the summer session, we had one last meal together. We burned part of our dinner for the gods, and at the bonfire, the senior counselors awarded the end-of-summer beads.

Percy and I got our own leather necklace. Our beads were pitch-black with a sea-green trident shimmering in the center.

"The choice was unanimous," Luke announced. "This bead commemorates the first Children of the Sea God at this camp, and the quest they undertook into the darkest part of the Underworld to stop a war!"

The entire camp got to their feet and cheered. Even Ares's cabin stood up. Athena's cabin steered Annabeth to the front so she could share in the applause.

I was happy, and then sad. People thought that we'd done something right, but in the next morning, most of them would probably be leaving for the year.

* * *

The next morning, there was a form letter on my bedside table.

Mr. D had filled it out.

 _Dear Amber Jones,_

 _If you intend to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round, you must inform the Big House by noon today. If you do not announce your intentions, we will assume you have vacated your cabin or died a horrible death. Cleaning harpies will begin work at sundown. They will be authorized to eat any unregistered campers. All personal articles left behind will be incinerated in the lava pit._

 _Have a nice day!_

 _Mr. D (Dionysus)_

 _Camp Director, Olympian Council #12_

I couldn't help but think about Thalia. How many monsters would attack me if I left Half-Blood Hill? If I stayed in one place, without Percy, Chiron, or friends around, would Mom and I survive until the next summer?

But Mom already paid for my spot and that would be such a waste if I didn't go.

I decided to go canoeing with Alexa and Casey. Eric decided to tag-along, looking somewhat distracted.

Percy had decided to sword fighting practice since he looked distracted over the choice.

Alexa asked, "Are you going to home for the summer?"

"Yeah," I responded. "My mom found a private school for me to go to for the year. I mean, a year without _Gabe_ being there is a dream that came true."

"What's wrong with your stepfather?" Casey asked, sounding confused.

"Many things," I responded. I looked at them. "Are you guys staying for the year?"

"Yeah," Alexa said and Casey nodded. I looked at Eric. "What about you?"

"I have nowhere else to go," Eric said. He was pulling at his fingerless gloves again.

We pushed a canoe out on the lake and clambered inside.

As we pushed off, Eric said, "My mom wrote to me."

"She did?" Alexa asked, sounding startled.

"Yeah, she wrote to me saying that she was sorry for what she did. And she deeply regretted—" Eric abruptly cut himself off.

"Sounds to me a little too late on that," Casey muttered.

"Yeah, she said that she wanted me to write back but she understands why I wouldn't," Eric said. "I'm not entirely sure if I want to write back to her."

"I wouldn't," Alexa said. "I don't know the whole story, but if she went to jail over it, I wouldn't."

"It's your choice," I told Eric, "If you want to write to her or not."

We got back from the canoe ride. As I was pulling the canoe back onto land, Percy ran up to me.

"Come on, Aria," Percy said.

I was confused, "What? Where?"

"The woods," Percy said. "Luke wants to fight one last monster."

I don't know why that gave me a strange feeling of dread, but I agreed to go with him. We walked to the woods where Luke was waiting and the two boys kick at some large patches of grass or shrubs, looking for some monster to fight, but I was beginning to get hot and tired.

We ended up sitting on a big rock where Percy broke Clarisse's spear during our first Capture the Flag. Percy and Luke cracked open Cokes. I would've taken one, but I didn't care too much for Coke.

"You two miss being on a quest?"

"With monsters attacking us every three feet?" asked Percy, "Are you kidding?" Luke arched an eyebrow. "Yeah, I miss it."

Luke looked at me.

I shrugged, "Never really gave it any thought. How about you?"

A shadow seemed to pass over his face.

I heard from girls that Luke was good-looking, and I did find him handsome, but he looked weary, angry, and not handsome. His blond hair looked gray in the sunlight and the scar on his face looked deeper than usual.

"I've lived at Half-Blood Hill year-round since I was fourteen. Ever since Thalia…well, you know, I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, 'Okay, ride's over. Have a nice life.'" He crushed his Coke can and threw it in the creek.

I was stunned at that. One of the first rules one learns at camp is that you don't litter. Nymphs and naiads will get their revenge. You crawl in bed one night, only to find your sheets filled with mud and bugs.

"The hell with laurel wreaths," Luke exclaimed. "I'm not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic."

"You sound like you're planning on leaving," I said.

"Yeah," Percy said.

Luke gave us a smile. "Oh, I'm leaving, all right, you two. I wanted to bring Percy down here to say good-bye, but he decided to bring you along. Either way, I brought you both down here to say good-bye." He snapped his fingers and a small fire burned a hole in the ground at Percy's feet.

Out of the hole crawled something glistened black and was about the size of Percy's hand. It was a scorpion.

I reached for my dagger and Percy reached for his pen.

"I wouldn't," Luke said. "Pit scorpions can jump up to fifteen feet. Its stinger can pierce right through your clothes. You'll be dead in sixty seconds."

I started, "I don't—"

Percy also started, "Luke, what—"

It slammed the door on me.

 _You will be betrayed by one who calls you a friend._

"You," Percy accused.

Luke stood up and brushed off his jeans.

The scorpion looked at Percy and me, and then clamped its pincers as it crawled on my leg.

"I saw a lot out there in the world, you two," Luke said. "Didn't either of you feel it—the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the gods? They should've been overthrown thousands of years ago, but they've hung on, thanks to us half-bloods."

I was watching the pit scorpion crawl up my leg, slowly. Percy was looking between the pit scorpion and Luke.

"Luke…you're talking about our parents," Percy said.

Luke laughed. "That's supposed to make me love them? Their precious 'Western civilization' is a disease, Percy. It's killing the world. The only way to stop it is to burn it to the ground, start over with something more honest."

It was a good idea, but I think burning it to the ground wasn't the answer.

"You're as crazy as Ares," Percy accused

Luke looked pissed off. "Ares is a fool. He never realized the true master he was serving. If I had time, you two, I could explain. But I'm afraid that your sister won't live that long."

The scorpion crawled onto my calf.

"Kronos, that's who you serve," Percy said, looking at the scorpion, like he really wanted to stab it with his sword, but he knew he couldn't without somehow hurting me.

The air seemed to get colder.

"You should be careful with names," Luke warned.

"Wait," I said, looking as the scorpion moved up to my knee. "Kronos had convinced you to seal Zeus's master bolt and Hades's helm. He's been speaking to you in your dreams."

Luke's eye twitched, "He spoke to you, too, Aria. You should've listened."

"He's brainwashing you, Luke," Percy said.

"You're wrong," Luke accused. "He showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, you two? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I'd done, that was the best he could think up."

"That…really isn't an easy quest," I said.

"Hercules did it," Percy said.

"Exactly," Luke said. "Where's the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn't in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this," he pointed at his scar, "and when I came back, all I got was pity. I wanted to pull Olympus down stone by stone, right then, but I bided my time. I began to dream of Kronos. He convinced me to steal something worthwhile, someone no hero had ever had the courage to take.

"When we went on that winter-solstice field trip, while the other campers were asleep, I snuck into the throne room and took Zeus's master bolt right from his chair. Hades's helm of darkness, too. You wouldn't believe how easy it was. The Olympians are so arrogant; they never dreamed someone would dare steal from them. Their security is horrible, I was halfway across New Jersey before I heard the storms rumbling, and I knew they'd discovered my theft."

I looked down at the pit scorpion which was on my knee.

"So why didn't you bring the items to Kronos?" Percy asked.

"I…I got overconfident. Zeus sents out his sons and daughters to find the stole bolt—Artemis, Apollo, my father, Hermes. But it was Ares who caught me. I could have beaten him, but I wasn't careful enough. He disarmed me, took the items of power, threatened me to return them to Olympus and burn me alive. Then Kronos's voice came to me and told me what to say. I put the idea in Ares's head about a great war between the gods. I said all he had to do was hide the items away for a while and watch the others fight. Ares got a wicked gleam in his eyes. I knew he was hooked. He let me go, and I returned to Olympus before anyone noticed my absence." He drew his sword, which looked strange. One half was bronze and the other half steel. I remembered what Chiron said. Celestial bronze can't harm mortals, but steel could.

Luke continued explaining, "Afterward, the Lord of the Titans…h-he punished me with nightmares. I swore not to fail again. Back at Camp Half-Blood, in my dreams, I was told that a second hero would arrive, one who could be tricked into taking the bolt and the helm the rest of the way—from Ares down to Tartarus."

"So, you had summoned the hellhound that one night," I said.

"Yeah, you almost shot me with one of your bolts after I summoned it," Luke said, eyeing me. "We had to make Chiron think that the camp wasn't safe for you two, so he would start either of you on your quest. We had to confirm his fears that Hades was after both of you. And it worked."

"The flying shoes were cursed," Percy said. "They were supposed to drag me and the backpack into Tartarus."

"And they would have, if you'd been wearing them. But you gave them to the satyr, which wasn't part of the plan. Grover messes up everything he touches. He even confused the curse."

Luke looked down at the scorpion, which was now on my thigh. I was starting to panic. He looked at Percy, "You should have died in Tartarus, Percy."

"Why am I the one that's going to get killed by this scorpion?" I asked.

"You're a threat," Luke said as if that explained everything. "I recognized that when you almost shot me the night during Capture the Flag."

"That was an accident," I said.

"Either way…" Luke said shrugging. "But don't worry, I'll leave you with my little friend to get you out of the way."

"Thalia gave her life to save you," Percy said, sounding like he was gritting his teeth. "And this is how you repay her?"

"Don't speak of Thalia!" Luke shouted. "The gods let her die! That's one of the many things they will pay for."

"You're just being used," I said.

"You and Ares both," Percy said. "Don't listen to Kronos."

"I've been used?" Luke said, his voice sounding shrill. "Look at yourself. What has your dad ever done for you? Kronos will rise. You've only delayed his plans. He will cast the Olympians into Tartarus and drive humanity back to their caves. All except the strongest—the ones who serve him."

In a way, I can see where Luke was coming from. Chiron said that Poseidon claimed Percy and me because he needed us as a last resort. Alexa hasn't even been claimed yet and she's been here for two years. Casey has been ran out of her home and been here for months and still no sign of her mother.

Luke gave a twisted smile, "I see that Aria believes I have a point."

"She knows that you have no point," Percy said, though he sounded unsure. "If you're so strong, fight me yourself, as long as you call off the bug."

"Nice try, Percy. But I'm not Ares. You can't bait me. My lord is waiting, and he's got plenty of quests for me to undertake."

Percy called, "Luke—"

"Good-bye, Percy and Aria," Luke said. "There is a new Golden Age coming. Your sister won't be part of it."

He slashed his sword in a arch and disappeared in a ripple of darkness.

The scorpion lunged for my face and Percy swatted it away with his hand. He uncapped his sword and the scorpion jumped at him. He cut it in half in midair. He looked down at his hand, which had a huge red welt that was oozing and smoking with yellow pus. The damn thing had gotten him.

Percy looked and I grabbed his arm and dragged him to the water. He stuck his hand in it, but it didn't seem to work. The poison must be to strong.

Percy staggered and I had to drag him to camp. I nearly stumbled under his weight and I managed to haul him to the clearing.

"I need help!" I shouted to someone.

A counselor from some cabin noticed and she shouted, "We need help over here!" She ran to take Percy and a conch horn was blown by Chiron.

Percy promptly passed out.

A few Apollo kids, Chiron, and strangely Annabeth ran over. Chiron lifted Percy, who was green and looking gray, up.

"What happened?" Chiron asked me as we rushed him to the infirmary.

"A pit scorpion," I managed to say as my panic started turning to worry and fear as I followed them.

"Get some nectar and ambrosia," one Apollo kid ordered someone, "Quickly." She turned to an Apollo boy.

An Apollo girl shoved me out of the way, "You need to leave. You'll be getting in the way and we can't have that."

I turned and left the infirmary. Annabeth was standing on the porch, looking worried and calculating. She asked, "What happened?"

"A pit scorpion," I repeated.

"Where did that come from?" Annabeth asked.

"Luke summoned it," I managed to say. It felt like I was in some sort of trance.

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

I shrugged, "I don't know. He ranted about how he knows that I'm a threat and something about Kronos destroying Olympus and casting down the gods in Tartarus."

Annabeth seemed confused. "What?"

I repeated what I said, turned and walked away. I needed to stop and think and get my head on straight. I went to the lake.

* * *

I was still out there when Chiron came up to me, an hour later. He was looking grim and pale.

"Is he…?" I started, unsure.

"He's okay," Chiron said. "He's asleep." I relaxed. "I've been told that you were with him and you told me that it was a pit scorpion that got him. Tell me exactly what happened." He led me to the Big House as I explained to Chiron what happened.

* * *

It was nearing dusk when Chiron came to get me to tell me that Percy was waking up. When I got there, his hand was heavily bandaged and Annabeth was giving him nectar and dabbing his forehead with a washcloth. I took the nectar from her and put to the straw to his mouth.

Percy's eyes opened and looked at us. He said, "Here we are again."

"You idiot," Annabeth said.

I was annoyed with her all over again. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my insides have been frozen, then microwaved," Percy said.

"Apt, considering that was pit scorpion venom," Chiron said.

"You were green and turning gray when Aria dragged you out of the woods," Annabeth said. "If it weren't for Chiron's healing…"

"Now, now," Chiron said. "Percy's constitution deserves some of the credit."

He was at the foot of Percy's bed. He had his lower half magically compacted in the wheelchair, while his upper half was dressed in a coat and tie. He smiled, but he looked pale and weary.

"I suppose you want the whole story," Percy said in between sips of nectar.

"Aria told us the whole story," Chiron said.

"I can't believe that Luke…" Annabeth started, but she looked angry and then sad. "Yes, yes, I can believe it. May the gods curse him…He was never the same after his quest."

"This must be reported to Olympus," Chiron murmured. "I will go at once."

"Luke is out there right," Percy said. "I have to go after him."

Chiron shook his head, "No, Percy. The gods—"

"Won't even talk about Kronos," Percy snapped. "Zeus declared the matter closed!"

"Percy, I know this is hard." Chiron said, "But you must not rush out for vengeance. You aren't ready."

Percy looked at his hand. "Chiron…your prophecy from the Oracle…it was about Kronos, wasn't it? Was I in it? And Aria and Annabeth?"

Chiron looked at the ceiling, almost nervously. "Percy, it isn't my place—"

"You've been ordered not to talk to Aria and me about it, haven't you?" Percy accused.

Chiron looked sad, "You two will be great heroes. I will do my best to prepare you and Aria. But if I'm right about the path ahead of you two…"

Thunder boomed which rattled the windows.

"All right!" shouted Chiron, "Fine!" He sighed, sounding frustrated. "The gods have their reasons, Percy and Aria. Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

"We can't just sit back and do nothing," Percy said.

"We will not sit back," Chiron said. "But you…" He looked at me… "And you, must be careful. Krono wants you both to come unraveled. He wants your lives disrupted, your thoughts clouded with fear and danger. Do not give him what he wants. Train patiently. Your time will come."

"Assuming that we live that long," I muttered.

Chiron wheeled over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "You'll have to trust me, Aria. You will live. But first you must decide your path for the coming year. I cannot tell you the right choice…" He looked at Percy. "But you must decide whether to stay at Camp Half-Blood year-round or return to the mortal world for seventh grade and be a summer camper. Think on that. When I get back fm Olympus, you must tell me your decision."

I looked at Chiron to see that he had said whatever he was allowed to.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Chiron said. "Argus…" He glanced at me, "And Aria will watch over you." He looked at Annabeth. "Oh, and my dear…whenever you're ready, they're here."

"Who's here?" Percy asked. He looked at and I shrugged.

Annabeth looked at the ice in the nectar. I almost sighed, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Annabeth said, setting the washcloth on the table. "I…just took your advice about something. You…um…need anything?"

"Yeah," Percy said and looked at me. "Help me. I want to go outside."

"Are you sure?" I asked, confused.

"Percy, that isn't a good idea," Annabeth said.

Percy ignored her as he moved his legs to the edge of the bed, then over. He stood up and I grabbed onto him as he crumpled to the ground. He looked like he was going to be sick.

"If you throw up on me, I'll kick you," I said.

"I told you…" Annabeth started.

"I'm fine," Percy said. He stepped forward and I moved his arm around my shoulders. He leaned against me, as we walked out of the infirmary. Argus followed after us, but he stayed at a distance.

We reached the porch and I noticed how sweaty Percy looked. I led him to the railing and had him lean on it.

It was dusk. The cabins, except for cabin three, were dark, and the volleyball pit wasn't in use. The lake was untouched. It was strange seeing it look deserted. The Long Island Sound glittered as the sun was going down.

"Are you going to stay or go home?" I asked Percy.

"I don't know," Percy said.

"I'm going home for the year, you two," Annabeth said.

"You're going to stay with your dad?" I asked confused.

She pointed toward the crest of Half-Blood Hill. I looked, right next to Thalia's pine tree, where two little children, a woman, and a tall man with blond hair stood. It looked like they were waiting. The man was holding a backpack.

"I wrote him a letter when we got back," Annabeth said. "Just like Percy suggested. I told him…I was sorry. I'd come home for the school year if he still wanted me. He wrote back immediately. We decided…we'd give it another try."

"That took guts," Percy said.

"You won't try anything stupid during the school year, will you?" Annabeth asked. "At least…not without sending me an Iris-message?"

Percy smiled, "I won't go looking for trouble. I usually don't have to."

"When I get back next summer, we'll hunt down Luke. We'll ask for a quest, but if we don't get approval, we'll sneak off and do it anyway. Agreed?" Annabeth said.

"Sounds good," I said and Percy nodded.

Annabeth held out her hand to Percy, who shook it. She said, "Take care, Seaweed Brain."

"You too, Wise Girl," Percy said.

She turned to me and held her hand. I hesistantly shook her hand. "Stay safe out there in the mortal world, if Percy decides to stay here year-world. Keep your eyes open, Algae Brain."

"Uh…thanks?" I replied, confused. "You too?"

"By the way, I haven't gotten around to saying that you deciding to stick around in Hades's palace was brave," Annabeth said.

"Thanks," I replied still confused.

With that, she walked up the hill to join her family.

"She's growing on you," Percy said, watching Annabeth.

"Yeah right," I muttered. "She's still annoying as hell." I looked at Percy. "So, see you next summer?" It would be weird, being away from him, if he decided to stay year-round.

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked. "I'm going with you." He looked at the lake. Almost to himself, he said, "We'll be back next summer. We'll survive then. After all, we are your children." He turned to Argus, "Take us back down to cabin three so we can pack."

* * *

A/N: Woo! Book 1 is finally done. That was a journey.


	22. Ch:1 Grover Went Wedding Dress Shopping

Chapter 1: **Grover Went Wedding Dress Shopping**

* * *

I woke up to someone shaking me. "Come, Aria, get up," Mom said. She was shaking me awake.

I snorted and looked up at my mom's smiling face. She was wearing her Sweet on America uniform and her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She walked away and I heard her knock on a door. "Percy, wake up, you're going to be late."

I flopped back down on the couch and looked at the ceiling again. It was the last day of school. No monsters attacked. Nothing dangerous happened. I hadn't gotten expelled, which was a big plus.

Mom came back and looked at me.

"I'm awake," I told her.

She nodded and went back to Percy's room. She knocked on the door. "Come on, dear. Last day of school. You should be excited! You and your sister almost made it!"

Mom walked back and went to the kitchen.

I got up and rolled up my blanket and grabbed my pillow. My dagger fell onto the floor and I picked it up. I hadn't used it in so long. I haven't even unclasped my crossbow bracelet. I tried not to wave my dagger around, or unsheathe it, or even bring out my crossbow because I think they give Mom anxiety whenever she happens to seem them lying around.

I think it also had to do with the way Percy had swung a javelin and smashed the china cabinet by accident. Percy was messing around by trying to lightly tap me with it, but he must've accidentally applied to much force and I had ducked at the right moment, and _smash_ there went the china cabinet.

I set it in my messenger bag that was in the chair along with my favorite autobiography, which was written by _Mötley Crüe,_ _The Dirt_ , before going to shove my blanket and pillow in the coat closet, which was my closet. I grabbed some black pants that was pre-ripped at the knees, my _Theater of Pain_ tee-shirt that I took from Lotus Hotel and Casino, and my dark blue denim jacket, and went to change.

I exited the bathroom to the smell of Mom making pancakes. I grabbed my messenger bag and _The Dirt_ from the chair and I parked my ass in the kitchen. Mom had given the autobiography to me on Christmas, even though she wanted to give it to me on my thirteenth birthday, but those plans fell through and Mom gave it to me for Christmas. I had finished it last week, but I wanted to read it again.

"Breakfast, Aria," Mom said.

I put the book in my bag and I grabbed a plate from the cupboard. I got some blue waffles. She celebrated special occasions with blue food. I think this breakfast was her way of saying anything's possible, like Percy and Aria can pass seventh grade, while waffles and eggs can be blue. I love the blue food, but in my opinion, I think the greatest miracle would be getting concert tickets, but whatever.

Percy walked in, looking sidetracked. I handed him a plate and went to get the syrup. I sat down and dug in, while Percy ate, too. Mom was doing the dishes and I watched Percy eat in a sort of distracted manner, like I was sure that if I put a napkin on his waffle, he would eat it without noticing.

Mom looked at us and frowned, "Percy, are you all right?"

"Yeah…fine," Percy said.

Mom dried her hands off and sat down next to him. She asked, "School, or…"

"I think Grover's in trouble," Percy said.

"What makes you say that?" I asked, confused.

"I had a dream," Percy said.

He told us that he had been standing on a deserted street in a little beach town in the middle of a night, while a storm blew. He knew that they were in Florida.

Grover was hauling ass, (okay, Percy said 'hauling goat tail') down the streets, while holding his shoes and Percy knew that Grover was terrified of something behind him. Percy knew that Grover was trying to get away from something.

Through the storm, there had been a bone-rattling growl and behind Grover, a shadowy figure was looming. The figure had slapped aside a street lamp and Grover stumbled, whimpering. Apparently Grover had been muttering that he had to get away and he had to warn 'them', who Percy didn't know what Grover meant.

Percy hadn't seen what was chasing him but he had heard it muttering and cursing and the ground had shaken when it got closer. Grover had run around a street corner and had faltered, because he ran into a dead-end courtyard that was full of shops.

The nearest shop's door had been blown open and Percy had seen the display window had read: _St. Augustine Bridal Boutique_ , which Grover ran in and dove behind a rack of wedding dresses.

The monster's shadow passed in front of the shop and Percy had even smelt the thing, which was a nasty combination of wet sheep wool, rotten meat, and a weird sour body order monsters produced. Then there was silence. Grover had taken a deep breath and then lightning had flashed in the dream. The entire storefront exploded and Percy clearly heard the monster bellow, "Mine!"

After Percy explained, Mom had pursed her lips. We didn't talk much about our demigod life. She said, "I wouldn't be too worried, dear. Grover is a big satyr now. If there were a problem, I'm sure we would've heard from…camp." Her shoulders had tensed at the word 'camp.'

"What is it?" Percy asked.

I asked, "Yeah, what?"

"Nothing," Mom said. "I'll tell you what. This afternoon, we'll celebrate the end of school. I'll take you and Tyson to Rockefeller Center—to that skateboard shop you like." She looked at me, "And I'll take you to go shopping for cross stitch supplies."

"That's sounds great," I said, smiling, although I wasn't sure we would be able to do that.

Between Mom's night classes and our private school tuition, we couldn't really do special stuff like that.

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "I thought we were packing up for camp tonight."

Oh, right. Camp Half-Blood. Don't get me wrong, I love Camp Half-Blood, but I also loved being home with Mom, too.

Mom twisted her dishrag, "Ah, dear, about that…I got a message from Chiron last night."

"What did he say?" Percy asked.

"He thinks…it might not be safe for you two to come to camp just yet. We might have to postpone," Mom said.

"How could it not be safe?" I asked. "The camp is supposed to be the only safe place for us."

Mom started, "Usually, sweetie, but with the problems they're having—"

"What problems is that?" I asked.

"Aria…I'm very, very sorry. I was hoping to talk to you and Percy about it this afternoon. I can't explain it all now. I'm not even sure Chiron can. Everything happened so suddenly."

I didn't get it. What happened? What happened that was so sudden?

The kitchen clock chimed the half-hour.

Mom looked like she almost relieved. "Seven-thirty, you two. You both should go. Tyson will be waiting."

Percy started, "But—"

"Percy, we'll talk this afternoon. Go on to school," Mom said.

I almost sighed at the mention of Tyson. We had to meet him at the subway station on time or he'd get really upset, because he was scared of traveling underground by himself. It was strange that a thirteen year old boy was scared of traveling alone, but then again, Tyson was a special needs boy.

I crammed the last bit of waffle in my mouth, and I grabbed my book and my bag.

Percy stopped in the doorway, "Mom, this problem at camp, does it…could it have anything to do with my dream about Grover?"

"We'll talk this afternoon, dear. I'll explain…as much as I can," Mom said.

I hugged Mom goodbye, "Bye, Mom. Love you."

"Love you too," Mom said. "Have a great day at school. We'll talk this afternoon."

"Bye, Mom," Percy said sounding reluctant.

Percy and I jogged down the five flights of stairs to get to the lobby so we can catch the Number Two train.

"You know, I could've sworn I saw a shadow flicker past my bedroom window," Percy said.

"Hmm, it could've been the neighbor's kid sneaking out early to meet up with someone," I said looking at the rickety fire escape.

Percy nudged me and pointed. I looked across the street at the brownstone building. It looked like there was a human silhouette against the brick wall. A shadow that didn't belong to anyone. It rippled and vanished.


	23. Ch:2 A Deadly Game of Dodgeball

Chapter 2: **A Deadly Game of Dodgeball**

* * *

Meriwether College Prep was a…interesting school, to say the least. It's highly 'progressive' in downtown Manhattan. We sat on beanbag chairs, we don't get grades, and the teachers wore jeans and rock concert tee-shirts. A few times I even walked in different classrooms during class time and the teachers said that it was a good show of participation, so they let allowed me to go to different classes whenever I wanted.

Besides the terrible learning and no grades, the teachers always looked on the bright side of things, while my classmates didn't seem all that bright.

During English we had read a book called _Lord of the Flies_ , where kids got shipwrecked on an island and become savage. I didn't like the book very much, to be honest.

"For our final exam, we're turning all of you loose in the break yard for an hour, with no adult supervision," my English teacher, Mr. Bones said, before opening the door.

I pulled myself out of my beanbag chair, while a girl, Skyler something-or-other kicked at my beanbag chair and smacked me in the head with her backpack. "Oops," she said in a false innocent tone.

I think the reason she hated me was because some jackass named Matt Sloan had a crush on me while she liked him.

Why I call Sloan a jackass…well…I'll get to that.

Sloan was sort of average, had eyes that reminded me and Percy of a pit bull, and he had shaggy black hair. He dressed in expensive clothes but he dressed sloppily, as if showing everyone he didn't give a damn about his parents' money. He had once asked me to join him on an yacht or if I wanted to go for a joyride in his dad's new Porsche because he crashed his dad's old one in a sign, which resulted in him chipping a tooth. He thought that he was the king of the schoolyard. He was giving everybody wedgies, yes, even the girls.

I might have liked him, if he wasn't an ass to Percy and Tyson.

Tyson was the only homeless kid at Meriwether. Mom, Percy, and I figured that he'd been abandoned when he was young. He was six-foot-three, and built like a bodybuilder. He cried a lot and was scared of nearly everything, even his reflection. His face was misshapen and sort of brutal-looking. I couldn't bring myself to look up past his mouth. His voice was deep, but he talked in a strange way, that came off like a much younger kid would. Percy told me that he guessed that it was became Tyson never gone to school before he ended up at Meriwether.

He wore tattered jeans, grimy size twenty sneakers, a plaid flannel shirt with holes in it. He even smelled like an alleyway because he lived in a cardboard refrigerator box on 72nd street. Mom had called social services, but nothing ever came out of that, although I wasn't sure how they missed a kid Tyson's size, but I think something else was at fault.

So, there I was, sitting on a bench trying to reread _The Dirt_ when I got pebbles thrown at me.

I looked up to see Skyler throwing pebbles, along with others, who were throwing pebbles at other people. I wasn't surprised to see that Sloan and his friends were throwing pebbles at other people, too. It looked like there were about six more people around him.

They must've been visiting from another school because they wore _Hi My Name Is_ stickers. They must've thought they were hilarious because one said: Marrow Sucker, another said: Skull Eater, and one said: Joe Bob. I think one said: Fire Breather.

I moved to stand by Percy and Tyson after I got a pebble thrown at me from Skyler again. Sloan and his buddies started throwing pebbles at Skyler. She screeched, but started laughing. I think it was because she thought that Sloan was flirting with her or something.

I looked to see that Sloan must've gotten tired of the pebble fight because he went and gathered a bunch of people to come over to him.

"Well, that looks…brutal," Percy said, pointing at the basketball courts.

I looked to see that some guy got tackled from behind, which resulted in him face-planting in the ground. I recoiled, "Whoa."

There was a squeal and I looked to see that Skyler was the unfortunate victim of getting a wedgie, courtesy of Sloan himself.

I almost sighed. I think he thought he was defending my honor or something. I looked back at my book and opened it again.

"Sloan alert," Percy said sighing.

I groaned, "What does he want?"

"He's coming this way," Percy said. It looked like he was sneaking up on Tyson.

Once everyone discovered that Tyson was actually a big softie, everyone made themselves feel better by picking on him.

Since we were Tyson's only friends, it meant that he was our only friend.

Tyson panicked and shoved Sloan away. Sloan flew backwards and got tangled in the little kids' tire swing.

"You freak!" Sloan yelled. "Why don't go back to your cardboard box?"

Tyson started sobbing and he sat down on the jungle gym. He must've sat down so hard on it, he bent the bar.

I was angry and I looked at Sloan. "You apologize to him right now!"

Sloan smirked at me. "Why should I, Aria? Don't tell me that you're in love with him? I think I could be a better boyfriend than _him_." He gave Tyson a nasty look and he looked at me. He must've noticed the crossbow bracelet that I wore. "Maybe you can teach me how to shot a crossbow sometime."

I was disgusted at that.

"You leave her alone, Sloan!" Percy shouted.

Sloan sneered at him. "Why do you even bother, Jackson? You might have friends if you weren't always sticking up for that freak." He started laughing with his friends.

I couldn't tell if he meant me or Tyson.

"He's not a freak," Percy said, making fists. His face was red. "He's just—"

"Forget it, Perce," I said. "He's not listening."

"Does he have more goons than usual?" Percy asked me.

"Yeah, he does," I said, looking at the others.

"Just wait till PE, Percy Jackson," Sloan called. "You are so dead."

"Don't worry," I told Percy. "I'll come to PE with you."

When first period ended, Percy's English teacher came outside to inspect the destruction.

"You all understood _Lord of the Flies_ perfectly. You all passed!" He announced. "You all should never, never grow up to be violent people."

Sloan nodded and gave Percy and me a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him.

Percy had to promise to buy Tyson an extra peanut butter sandwich at lunch to get Tyson to stop crying.

"I—I am a freak?" Tyson asked.

"No," Percy said, sounding like he was speaking through gritted teeth. "Matt Sloan is the freak."

"No, he's more like an ass than a freak," I said. "Being a freak isn't _that_ bad." I remembered how Mom said that being called a freak wasn't a bad thing, but at the time I didn't know she was speaking about us being demigods.

Tyson sniffled. "You two are good friends. Miss you next year if…if I can't…"

"Don't worry, big guy," Percy said. "Everything's going to be fine."

"Yeah," I said in a distant voice, not sure if everything _will_ be fine for him. "You're going to be fine."

He was part of this community service project, which was why he ended up at this school. The headmaster probably hadn't spoken to Tyson if he was going to return or not.

* * *

The gym uniform at Meriwether was sky blue shorts and tie-dyed tee-shirts. At least we did most our athletic stuff inside, so we didn't jog through Tribeca, looking like we were at a boot-camp for hippie children.

I walked in the gym, dressed in my regular clothes, and set my bag by Coach Nunley, who grunted at me. I had completed gym yesterday, but left my uniform at home.

Coach Nunley was sitting at his little desk, reading _Sports Illustrated_. He wore bifocals and had no teeth and had a greasy wave of gray hair. I walked over to stand next Percy.

Sloan said, "Coach, can I be captain?"

"Eh?" Coach Nunley looked up from his magazine. "Yeah, mm-hmm."

Sloan grinned and pointed at Percy. "You're the other team's captain."

The jocks, the popular kids, and the visitors moved onto Sloan's side.

It left me, Tyson, Percy, Corey Bailer, Raj Mandali, and Sloan's victims as the other team.

Sloan dumped the cage full of red rubber balls in the middle of the gym.

"Scared," Tyson mumbled. "Smell funny."

"What smells funny?" Percy asked.

Tyson pointed at Sloan's friends, "Them. Smell funny."

The visitors cracked their knuckles and eyed us like it was time for us to die.

Sloan blew a whistle and the game began. Sloan's team charged for the center line and Raj yelled something and ran for the exit. Corey tried to crawl behind the wall mat to hide.

Percy started, "Tyson, Aria, let's—"

A ball slammed into his gut and sent him flopping back on his ass.

I was sent sprawling to the ground when Tyson pushed me down so I can avoid a ball and Tyson yelled, "Percy, duck!"

Percy rolled over as a ball went past him.

It hit the wall mat and Corey yelped.

"Are you trying to kill someone?" I asked.

"Hey! You could kill somebody!" Percy yelled.

Joe Bob grinned evilly. Was it just me or did he seem a lot bigger. He seemed taller than Tyson. "I hope so, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson! I hope so!"

Nobody called us Perseus or Ariadne, except for those who knew our real names…friends and enemies.

They weren't friends, so mostly likely enemies. Yup. That figures.

The monsters were literally growing in size. They were now eight-foot-tall giants with wild eyes, pointy teeth, and hairy arms that were tattooed with: snakes, female hula dancers, and Valentine hearts.

Sloan noticed because he dropped his ball. "Whoa! You're not from Detroit! Who—"

The others started screaming and ran towards the exit. Marrow Sucker threw a ball, it flew past Raj and it hit the door, slamming it. Raj and some of the others started hitting the door, but it didn't open.

"Let them go!" Percy yelled.

"Open the doors!" I yelled.

Joe Bob growled at him. I noticed he had a tattoo that said: JB luvs Babycakes. "And lose our tasty morsels? No, Children of the Sea God. We Laistrygonians aren't just playing for your death. We want lunch!"

He waved his hand and bronze balls the size of cannon balls apparent on the center line. They were poked with holes like Wiffle balls, but fire was bubbling out of the holes. I was sure that they were scorching hot, but the giants picked them up effortlessly with their bare hands.

Percy yelled, "Coach!"

"A little help, please?" I added.

Nunley looked up, but he didn't seem to see anything wrong about the dodgeball game. I wasn't sure what the Mist made them see.

"Yeah," Coach muttered. "Mm-hmm. Play nice." He went back to his magazine.

Skull Eater threw his ball and Percy dove aside as the ball sailed past him.

"Corey!" Percy and I screamed. Tyson pulled him out from behind the exercise mat just as the ball exploded against it. The mat was blasted to shreds.

"Run!" Percy ordered.

"Run to the other exit!" I said.

They ran for the locker room but Joe Bob waved his hand, making that door slam shut too.

"No one leaves unless you're out!" Joe Bob roared. "And you're not out until we eat you!"

I wasn't entirely sure what they were seeing, but I was sure that they would need a lot of therapy after this.

A fireball came streaking towards Percy and Tyson pushed him out of the way.

The explosion blew him hands over ass right onto the gym floor. Two hungry giants glared down at Percy.

"Flesh!" they bellowed. "Hero flesh for lunch!" They took aim.

"Percy needs help!" Tyson yelled and jumped in front of Percy right as they threw the fireballs.

"Tyson!" Percy and I screamed, but Tyson caught the balls.

He yelled, "Bad," as threw the fireballs at the two giants. The fireballs exploded against their chests and they disintegrated into two columns of flames. They were monsters all right.

"My brothers!" Joe Bob wailed. He flexed his muscled. "You will pay for their destruction!"

"Tyson! Look out!" Percy shouted, as another fireball flew towards us. Tyson swatted it aside, which flew straight over Coach's head. It landed in the bleachers with a huge explosion.

Kids were running around screaming and trying to avoid the sizzling craters in the floors. Others were banging on the door, screaming for help. Sloan stood in the middle of the court, watching in disbelief as fireballs flew around him.

Coach still wasn't paying attention as he read his magazine, but he tapped his hearing aid as if the explosions were interfering with it.

I was sure that the whole school could hear the noise. The headmaster, police, or somebody would come to help us.

"Victory will be ours!" roared Joe Bob. "We will feast on your bones!"

"You need to work on your trash-talk skills, Joe Bob," I said, right as he threw another ball, three others following after him.

Percy ran towards the locker room door. He said something to them and they moved out of the way.

Tyson swatted two of the fireballs back towards the giants, which blasted them in flames.

Two giants were standing.

A fireball hurtled at Percy.

"Percy, run!" I shouted, but he stood there.

Oh. Now I see what he was doing. He ran out of the way as the fireball demolished the locker room door.

The wall blew apart. Locker doors, socks, athletic supports, and other various personal items rained all over the gym.

Tyson punched Skull Eater in the face and the giant crumpled. Joe Bob threw the fireball at Tyson, who turned to face him.

"No!" Percy and I yelled as the ball caught Tyson in the chest. He flew down the court and slammed into the back wall.

The wall cracked and partially crumbled on top of him. The wall made a hole right onto Church Street.

Tyson looked dazed. The fireball was still smoking at his feet. Tyson tried picking it up, but he fell backwards, into a pile of cinder blocks.

"Well! I'm the last one standing! I'll have enough meat to bring Babycakes a doggie bag."

I truly didn't want to know who Babycakes was.

"Stop!" Percy yelled. "It's me that you want!"

The giant grinned. "You wish to die first, young hero?"

"No, he doesn't," I said. "I should go first."

"Aria, no," Percy said sounding distressed.

"You both can go first," Joe Bob said, grinning.

I ran for Coach Nunley and Percy ran at Joe Bob.

"My lunch approaches," Joe Bob said. I dove for my bag and I grabbed it. I pulled out Tidal Wave and turned around to see Joe Bob burst into a cloud of green flame.

Annabeth was standing there; her face was grimy and scratched. She had a ragged backpack over her shoulder, her baseball hat in her pocket, and she was holding her bronze knife.

Sloan said, "That's the girl…That's the girl—"

Annabeth punched him in the face, knocking him flat. "And you…lay off my friends."

I almost felt guilty at that. She considered me a friend, even though I didn't consider her a friend. I considered her an acquaintance through Percy, but the way she treated him at times…

I finally realized that the gym was in flames. Kids were still running around and screaming, sirens were wailing, and there was a voice over the intercom that I couldn't understand. Through the glass windows of the exit doors, the headmaster was wrestling with the lock, and a crowd of teachers were getting behind him.

"Annabeth…how did you…how long have you…"

"Pretty much all morning," Annabeth said, sheathing her knife. "I've been trying to find a good time to talk to you or Aria, but you two were never alone."

"The shadow I saw this morning—that was—" Percy's face was red. "Oh, my gods, you were looking in my bedroom window?"

"There's no time to explain!" Annabeth snapped, her face was a little red. "I just didn't want to—"

"There!" a woman screamed. The doors burst open and adults came rushing in.

"Meet me outside," Annabeth said. "And him," She pointed to Tyson, who was looking dazed. She gave him a look of disgust. "You'd better bring him."

"What?" Percy asked.

"No time!" she said, "Hurry!" She put on her baseball cap and vanished.

We were left standing in the middle of the gym when the headmaster came charging in with half of the staff and some police officers.

"Percy and Aria Jackson?" the headmaster said. "What…how…?"

Tyson groaned and stood up. "Head hurts."

Sloan looked at us with a look of terror. "Percy did it, Mr. Bonsai! He set the whole building on fire. Aria was trying to stop him. Coach Nunley will tell you! He saw it all!"

Coach looked up when Sloan said his name. "Eh? Yeah. Mm-hmm."

The others turned toward us. Percy grabbed Riptide out of his jean, turned to Tyson and me, said, "Come on!" He jumped through the gaping hole in the side of the building.

I followed along, dragging Tyson with me.


	24. Ch:3 Chariot of Damnation

Chapter 3: **Want Fries With Your Chariot of Damnation?**

* * *

Annabeth was waiting for us in an alley of Church Street. I heard sirens and Annabeth pulled us off the sidewalk, right as the fire truck drove by, heading straight to Meriwether.

"Where'd you two find him?" Annabeth demanded, pointing at Tyson.

I was instantly annoyed with her. Tyson had saved our lives and Annabeth was glaring at him, like he was the one who tried to kill us.

"Uh…he's our friend," I said.

"Is he homeless?" Annabeth asked.

"Why are you asking us that?" I asked. "Ask Tyson."

Annabeth looked surprised. "He can talk?"

"He can also hear," I replied.

"I talk," Tyson said to Annabeth, "You are pretty."

"Ah! Gross!" Annabeth exclaimed stepping away from him.

I was in disbelief that she was being so rude.

"Tyson," Percy said, sounding in disbelief. "Your hands aren't even burned."

"Of course not," Annabeth muttered. "I'm surprised the Laistrygonians had the guts to attack you two with him around."

Tyson reached over to touch Annabeth's hair, but she slapped his hand away.

"Isn't that a mouthwash?" I asked.

"What are you talking about?" Percy asked. "Laistry—what?"

"Laistrygonians," Annabeth said, "The monsters in the gym. They're a race of giant cannibals who live in the far north. Odysseus ran into them once, but I've never seen them as far south as New York before."

"Well, what are the Laistry—Listerine giants doing here?" I asked.

"Come on, we have to get out of here," Annabeth said.

"The police'll be after me," Percy said.

"That's the least of our problems," Annabeth said.

I nodded, "Yeah. We managed to get out of that delinquent stuff last year."

"Have either of you been having the dreams?" Annabeth asked.

"The dreams…" Percy started, "about Grover?"

Annabeth's face seemed to pale, "Grover? No, what about Grover?"

Percy explained his dream to her, "Why? What were you dreaming about?"

After a few seconds, Annabeth said, "Camp. Big trouble at camp."

"Our mom was saying the same thing!" Percy said. "But what kind of trouble?"

"I don't know exactly," Annabeth said. "Something's wrong. We have to get there right away. Monsters have been chasing me all the way from Virginia, trying to stop me. Have you had a lot of attacks?"

Percy and I shook our heads.

"No," I said.

"None all year…until today," Percy said.

Annabeth repeated, "None? But how…" She looked at Tyson, "Oh."

"What do you mean, 'oh?'" Percy asked.

"Yeah," I said. "What do you mean by that?"

Tyson raised his hand, "Mouthwash in the gym called Percy and Aria something…Children of the Sea God?"

I couldn't help but think that he deserved the truth. After all, he saved our lives. I grabbed his arm, "Boy, I have some news for _you_."

Percy started, "You ever hear those old stories about the Greek gods? Like Zeus, Poseidon, Athena—"

"Yes," Tyson interrupted.

"Well…those gods are still alive." Percy explained, "They kind of follow Western Civilization around, living in the strongest countries, so like now they're in the U.S. And sometimes they have kids with mortals. Kids called half-bloods."

"Yes," Tyson said. It sounded like he heard this story before and was waiting for Percy to get to the point.

"Uh, well, Aria, Annabeth, and I are half-bloods," Percy said. "We're like…heroes-in-training, And whenever monsters pick up our scent, they attack us. That's what those giants were in the gym. Monsters."

"Yes," Tyson repeated.

 _That was it?_ I thought in disbelief. That was his reaction? Or rather, non-reaction. There was no shock, no surprise, or even confusion. "So…you actually believe him?"

Tyson nodded. "But you are…Daughter of the Sea God?"

"Yes," I said. "Percy and my dad is Poseidon."

Tyson was now frowning, looking confused. "But then…"

A siren wailed as a police car drove past the alley we were in.

Annabeth looked impatient. "We don't have time for this. We'll talk in the taxi."

"You expect us to take a taxi all the way to camp?" I asked. "You're out of your damn mind if you think that we have money for that."

"Trust me," Annabeth said.

"What about Tyson?" Percy asked.

I tried imagining allowing Tyson into Camp Half-Blood. If he freaked out with regular people, how would Tyson react to demigods? How would he react to Clarisse?

"We can't just leave him. He'll be in trouble, too," said Percy.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "We definitely need to take him. Now come on."

The way she said it, made it sound like Tyson was some sort of disease that needed to be contained. We followed her down the alley. We had to sneak through the side streets while I looked back to see the huge column of smoke from the gym.

"I'm definitely not invited back there for next year," I muttered.

"And put up with Sloan and Skyler?" Percy replied. I couldn't find a come-back to that. He added, "Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

On the corner of Thomas and Trimble, Annabeth stopped us, and looked in her backpack. "I hope I have one left."

"What are you looking for?" Percy asked.

Sirens were wailing and I was sure that more cops would drive by looking for teenage gym-bombers. I was sure that Sloan was giving them a statement and twisting it to where Percy and Tyson were the ones that was cannibalistic and I was the one poor, brave soul that was trying to stop them, but they probably dragged me off to feast on my dying carcass or something.

"Found one, thank the gods," Annabeth said pulling out a drachma.

"Taxis wouldn't take that," I said.

" _Stop, Chariot of Damnation!_ " Annabeth yelled in Ancient Greek.

"Sounds like your ride," Percy muttered to me.

Annabeth threw the coin onto the street, but the drachma sank right through it.

Where the drachma had fallen, the asphalt darkened, melting in a rectangular pool that was roughly the size of a parking space. There was bubbling red liquid that I was sure was blood. A smoky gray taxi erupted from the liquid. It looked like it was woven out of smoke. There was something printed on the door, but my dyslexia butchered whatever it said.

The passenger window rolled down and an old woman, with grizzled hair covering her eyes, mumbled, "Passage? Passage?"

"Four to Camp Half-Blood," Annabeth said, opening the back door. She waved at us to get in, like it was completely normal.

"Ach!" the old woman screeched. "We don't take _his_ kind!" She pointed at Tyson.

"That's rude," I said.

"Extra pay," Annabeth said. "Three more drachma on arrival."

"Done!" the woman screamed.

I reluctantly got in the cab, sitting on the seat opposite of Percy. I was sure that the cab had lengthened, to be able to fit me. Tyson had squeezed in the middle and Annabeth got in last.

The inside was smoky gray, but it seemed solid enough. The seat was cracked and lumpy and there was no Plexiglas screen separating us from the three old ladies in front. They all had stringy hair covering their eyes, bony hands, and smoky gray cloth dresses.

The middle on said, "Long Island! Out-of-metro fare bonus! Ha!"

The taxi was floored and I was almost thrown into Percy. A prerecorded voice over the speaker said: "Hi, this Ganymede, cup-bearer to Zeus, and when I'm out buying wine for the Lord of the Skies, I always buckle up!"

There was a large black chain instead of a seat belt. I don't think I was ready to lose my lower half.

We sped around the corner of West Broadway and an old lady screeched, "Look out! Go left!"

"Well, if you'd give me the eye, Tempest, I could see that!" the driver complained.

Did she just say, 'give her the eye?'

We swerved and I saw a delivery truck drive by. I think we drove right onto a curb.

"Wasp!" a lady said. "Give me the girl's coin! I want to bite it."

"You bit last time, Anger!" snapped the driving, who I'm guessing was Wasp. "It's my turn!"

"Is not!" yelled Anger.

Tempest screamed, "Red light!"

"Brake!" yelled Anger.

We went up on the curb, screeching around a corner, and knocked over something.

"Excuse me, but…can you see?" Percy asked.

"No!" screamed Wasp.

"No!" screamed Tempest.

"Of course!" yelled Anger.

Percy and I looked at Annabeth. Percy asked, "They're blind?"

"Not completely," Annabeth responded. "They have an eye."

"Only one eye?" I asked.

"Yeah," Annabeth said.

"Each?" Percy asked.

"No." Annabeth said, "One eye total."

Tyson groaned and grabbed the seat. "Not feeling so good."

"Oh, man," Percy said.

I'd seen Tyson get carsick on school field trips and it was horrible. "Hang in there, big guy. Anybody got a garbage bag or something?"

The gray ladies were busy arguing to even pay attention. I looked at Annabeth and narrowed my eyes are her.

"Hey, Gray Sisters Taxi is the fastest way to camp," Annabeth said.

"Then why didn't you take it from Virginia?" Percy asked.

"That's outside their service area," Annabeth said, as if we should've known it. "They only serve Greater New York and surrounding communities."

"We've had famous people in this cab!" Anger exclaimed. "Jason! You remember him?"

"Don't remind me!" Wasp wailed. "And we didn't have a cab back then, you old bat. That was three thousand years ago!"

"I think they're giving me a headache," I muttered to Percy.

"Give me the tooth!" Anger yelled.

"Only if Tempest gives me the eye!" Wasp shouted.

"No!" Tempest screeched. "You had it yesterday!"

"But I'm driving, you old hag!" Wasp shouted.

"Excuses! Turn! That was your turn!" one of the ladies yelled.

 _Note to self: Never take the Gray Ladies Taxi ever again,_ I thought.

We swerved hard onto Delancey Street. We shot up the Williamsburg Bridge at seventy miles an hour.

 _Correction: Never_ ever _take the Gray Ladies Taxi,_ I thought.

It sounded like the Gray Ladies were engaged in a slap fight. We served on Williamsburg Bridge.

Wasp started yelling, "'Ivit back! 'Ivit back!"

"She took the tooth, didn't she?" I asked.

Percy nodded, and Tyson groaned. Percy said, "Uh, if anybody's interested, we're going to die!"

"Again?" I asked, feeling the panic kick in.

"Don't worry," Annabeth told me, sounding worried. "The Gray Sisters know what they're doing. They're really very wise."

 _Correction #2: Never take the Gray Sisters Taxi if I don't have a death-wish,_ I thought.

"Says the daughter of Athena," I muttered, not assured. "We're going along the edge of a bridge that's a hundred and thirty feet above the East River."

"Yes, wise!" Anger yelled. "We know things!"

"Every street in Manhattan!" Wasp bragged. "The capital of Nepal!"

"The location you seek!" Tempest added.

Her sisters started yelling, "Be quiet! Be quiet! They didn't even ask yet!"

"What?" Percy and I asked.

"What location?" Percy asked.

I said, "We're not even seeking for any—"

"Nothing!" Tempest interrupted. "You're right, girl. It's nothing!"

"Tell us," Percy demanded.

"No!" the Sisters scream.

"The last time we told, it was horrible!" Tempest said.

"Eye tossed in a lake!" Anger agreed.

"Years to find it again!" Wasp moaned. "And speaking of that—give it back!"

"No!" yelled Anger.

"Eye!" Wasp yelled. "Gimme!"

 _Note to self #2: When we get to camp, look for aspirin, ambrosia, or nectar to get rid of this god awful headache I was getting,_ I told myself.

There was a nasty sounding pop and I got hit in the shoulder with something.

I shrieked, "Ew! Ew! What was that?" A slimy green orb rolled right next to me. It was the eye!

"I can't see!" the sisters yelled.

"Give her the eye!" Annabeth screamed at me.

"What makes you think I'm touching _that_?" I asked her disgusted at the thought.

The taxi slammed against the guardrail, which made a grinding noise. The taxi shuddered and billowed gray smoke.

"Going to be sick!" Tyson warned.

"Get the eye!" Annabeth yelled at me.

The taxi swerved away from the rail and we hurtled down the bridge, heading to Brooklyn, going faster than a normal taxi would've gone. The sisters screeched and I was sure hitting each other, while screaming for their eye.

I reached in my bag and pulled out a piece of paper. I picked up the eye with it.

"Nice girl!" Anger cried, as if she somehow knew that I had it. "Give it back!"

"Not until you explain," Percy said, before I can hand it over. "What were you talking about, the location we seek?"

"Not time!" Tempest yelled. "Accelerating!"

I looked out the window to see that we were driving by in a gray blur.

"Aria," Annabeth warned, "they can't find our destination without the eye. We'll just keep accelerating until we break into a million pieces."

"First they have to tell us," Percy said. "Or I'll open the window and tell Aria to throw the eye into oncoming traffic."

"No!" the sister yelled. "Too dangerous!"

"I'm rolling down the window," Percy said

"Wait!" the sister yelled, "30, 31, 75, 12!"

"What do you mean?" Percy said. "That makes no sense!"

Anger repeated the numbers and yelled, "That's all we can tell you. Now have your sister give us the eye! Almost to camp!"

We were off the highway.

"Aria! Give them the eye now!" Annabeth ordered sounding urgent.

I plopped the eye into Wasp's lap and she said, "Whoa!" She slammed on the brakes and the taxi spun four or five times. I had to dig my feet into the ground to stay put.

The taxi billowed out a cloud of smoke and squealed to a stop, in the middle of the farm road at the base of Half-Blood Hill.

Tyson burped loudly. "Better now."

"All right," Percy said. "Now tell us what those numbers mean."

"No time!" Annabeth said, opening her door. "We have to get out now."

I turned to look out the front window.

At the crest of the hill, it looked like a group of campers were under attack.


	25. Ch:4 Battle Of The Bulls

Chapter 4: **Battle Of The Bulls**

* * *

Two bronze bulls the size of elephants were attacking the camp. For extra difficulty and annoyance, they just had to breathe fire, too. Once we left the taxi, the Gray Sisters peeled out. There were about ten campers fighting the bulls, but they were getting their asses handed to them.

The bulls were ranging all over the hill, even around the backside of Thalia's pine tree. It wasn't possible. The magic boundaries didn't allow monsters to cross Thalia's tree, but the metal bulls were doing it anyway.

"Border patrol, to me!" Clarisse shouted.

"It's Clarisse," Annabeth said. "Come on, we have to help her."

I still didn't get why Clarisse and her siblings hated Percy, but the children of Ares tolerated me. They say that they tolerate me because Eric is my friend, but it's still weird. Eric was still teetering on the edge of tolerating Percy and hating him.

The campers scattered, running as the bulls charged. The grass was burning around the pine tree. One guy screamed and waved his arms as he ran in circles because the plume on his helmet was on fire.

I unclasped my crossbow bracelet and pulled a bronze bolt out of my bag. I knocked it and Percy uncapped his pen, turning it into a sword. To Tyson, he said, "Tyson, stay here. I don't want you taking any more chances."

"No! We need him," Annabeth said.

"He's mortal," Percy pointed out, "He got lucky with the dodge balls, but he can't—"

"Percy, Aria, do you know what those are up there? The Colchis bulls, made by Hephaestus himself. We can't fight them without Medea's Sunscreen SPF 50,000. We'll get burned to a crisp."

"Medea's what?" Percy asked.

"That sounds fake, but okay," I said, growing antsy as the campers fought the bulls by themselves. It looked like Alexa was moving her hands in a weird way and for a second I could've sworn I saw a tree erupt from where she was standing. She ran away and a bronze bull barreled past it, and Casey threw a javelin in the neck of the bull, but the bull continued.

"I had a jar of tropical coconut scent sitting on my night-stand at home. Why didn't I bring it?" Annabeth said.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not going to let Tyson get fried," countered Percy.

Annabeth started, "Percy—"

"Tyson, stay back," Percy ordered. "Come on, Aria, we're going in."

I ran in with Percy, shouting a quick 'sorry' to Tyson.

Clarisse yelled at her patrol, trying to get them into a phalanx formation. Alexa and Casey had joined the group. There were four others. They had gotten shoulder-to-shoulder, locking their shields to form a bronze wall, spears bursting at the top. The others were running around with their helmets on fire. Annabeth ran toward them, trying to help.

The other bull charged Clarisse's line. We were already halfway up the hill, not really close enough to help out.

The bull moved unnaturally fast for something that was so big. Its metal hide gleamed in the sun. It had fist-sized rubies for eyes and horns that was polished silver. When it opened its hinged mouth, a blast of white-hot fire came out.

"Hold the line!" Clarisse ordered.

She was one brave girl, I'll give her that. I don't think I would get along with her anytime soon, even though she said she tolerates my presence and I shouldn't ruin it.

She was probably born to wear Greek armor, but not even I saw how long she can hold down the bull charging.

Bull Number Two, the one that was interested in playing Hide-and-Go-Seek with Annabeth, lost interest, and wheeled around to focus on Clarisse.

Before I can say anything, Percy shouted, "Behind you! Look out!"

Bull Number One ran into Clarisse's shield and the phalanx broke. Clarisse was sent flying backwards, landing right into a smoldering patch of grass. The bull ran past her, and blasted the six campers with fiery breath, melting their shields off their arms. They dropped their weapons and ran as the second bull closed in on Clarisse.

Percy ran forward and grabbed Clarisse and I shot a bolt into the bull's neck. It landed with a ' _twing_ ' sound and Percy swiped at the bull, cutting a huge gash in the flank, but the bull kept going.

"Let me go!" Clarisse shouted. "Percy, curse you!"

Annabeth was shouting at the others to spread out, to keep the bulls distracted.

A bull ran a wide arc and made its way to Percy. I knocked another bolt and shot it at the bull, hitting its flank. It passed the middle of the hill, where it slowed down a little. It struggled and then ran to Percy. The second bull turned to face Percy, fire gushing from its side, where the gash was.

Percy lunged as the bull blew flames at him. He rolled aside and then he stumbled.

I shot another bolt at the bull, as Percy slashed it's snout off. The bull galloped away and Percy tried to stand, but he buckled, like his leg was broken. Another bull charged and I heard Annabeth shout, "Tyson, help him!"

I couldn't do anything and god knows where the others ran off to.

"Can't—get—through!" Tyson wailed.

"I, Annabeth Chase, give you permission to enter camp!" Annabeth yelled.

Thunder shook the hillside and Tyson was barreling towards the bull and Percy, yelling, "Percy needs help!" like it was some sort of war cry. It probably was war, considering how Tyson seemed fond of Percy.

Tyson dove between Percy and the bull as it unleashed a blast of fire.

"Tyson!" Percy and I yelled.

The blast swirled around Tyson, and I could spot the silhouette of Tyson's body, and I felt sickened, thinking that he turned into a pile of ashes, but the fire died. Tyson was completely unharmed.

Tyson slammed his fists right into the bull's face, screaming, "Bad cow!"

Two small columns of flame shot out of the bull's ears, and Tyson hit it again, crumpling the bull. "Down!" Tyson yelled.

The bull staggered and fell on its back legs, which moved in the air, like an upturned bug. Steam was coming out of its ruined head.

I took my chance and ran over to check on Percy, Annabeth trailing behind me.

"Are you okay?" I asked Percy.

"My ankle feels like it's filled with acid," Percy groaned. Annabeth pushed me to the side and handed him a canteen.

"You could've just said move," I muttered as Percy drank from the canteen. He seemed to stop looking pale.

"The other bull?" Percy asked.

Annabeth pointed down the hill. It looked like Clarisse had taken care of the second bull, because she had had impaled it through it's back leg with a celestial bronze spear. With its snout half gone and a huge a gash in its side, it looked like it was running in slow motion. It was going in circles, like some kind of demented looking merry-go-round animal that one would probably find in nightmares.

Clarisse pulled off her helmet and marched toward us. At Percy, she yelled, "You—ruin—everything! I had it under control!"

"If Percy didn't yell at you, you would've gotten mowed down by a bull, but I guess it's his fault," I said.

"Argh!" Clarisse screamed, "Don't ever, _ever_ try saving me again!"

"Clarisse," Annabeth said, "You've got wounded campers."

Clarisse glared at them and growled, "I'll be back." She turned and stormed back to the other campers.

I went to go help, see what was up with that strange tree Alexa seemed to conjure. I ran past Annabeth and to my two friends.

Alexa was holding her arm and Casey was standing on one leg and leaning on Eric for support.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked.

"A little banged up, but we're good," Eric said. He was smiling, like he was thrilled by the battle with the bulls.

I looked at Alexa, "What's with that conjured tree?"

"Oh, I can manipulate the Mist," Alexa said shrugging. "It's very easy for me to do." She sighed. "It's not really anything special. Chiron can do it and I think a few other half-bloods can. It comes a lot easier to me. I don't really like manipulating people like that. Anyway, what's with the Cyclopes?"

I blinked at that, "What?"

"The Cyclopes?" Casey said. "Why is _he_ here?"

That made so much sense.

I told them about the giants at Meriwether Prep and the deadly game of dodge ball.

"The Laistrygonians sure have guts for attacking you two with him around," Eric said.

Clarisse stomped up and looked at my friends. She looked at Eric, "What are you doing standing around and talking? Get them to the infirmary."

"Yes, Clarisse," Eric said, using a mocking tone, which probably would've gotten him a punch to the face, if it was someone else other than Clarisse's siblings. Or maybe she would've punched him in the face, if he didn't have someone injured leaning on him.

Eric turned to help Casey to the infirmary. I grabbed Casey's other arm and pulled it over my shoulders to help. Alexa trailed beside me.

"How did the bulls even get in?" I asked.

"Someone poisoned Thalia's tree," Alexa said. I looked back at Thalia's tree. I noticed yellow pine needles and a huge pile of them surrounding the tree. "The borders are failing."

I noticed that the meadow grass was yellow, counselors and satyrs were adding weapons in the weapons shed, and dryads armed with bows and arrows were standing at the edge of the forest. I was beginning to feel a little terrified. I asked, "What is Chiron going to do about it?"

"Chiron?" Eric asked and did a fake sounding laugh. "More like Tantalus and I highly doubt that _he's_ going to do anything about it."

"Chiron's still here," Alexa added in a reassuring tone.

"So, why's Tantalus here?" I asked.

"He's the new activities director," Eric said. "You and Percy were _gone_ way too long."

"I just have to ask it," Casey said. "How does it feel to have a half-brother that's a Cyclops?"

"Come on," Eric said. "He could've been from a different god, but…yeah, it's mostly Poseidon." He looked at me. "Sorry about that."

It made sense on why Tyson seemed focused on me and Percy being children of Poseidon and why he said, 'then that means…'

I couldn't be sure of what was more terrifying: having a long lost half-brother that was considered a monster or Camp Half-Blood no longer being safe.


	26. Ch:5 We Have a Cyclops for a Brother

Chapter 5: **We Have a Cyclops for a Brother**

* * *

After I had left the infirmary with Eric, we came across Chiron downstairs. Well, he was being accompanied by Tyson, Annabeth, and Percy.

"Chiron, what's happening? You're not…leaving?" Annnabeth asked.

Chiron ruffled Annabeth's hair, "Hello, child." He looked at Percy, "And Percy, my goodness. You've grown over the year!"

Percy started saying, "Clarisse said you were…you were…"

"Fired," I finished for him.

Chiron looked back at me, "And Aria. You've grown…a little, over the year, as well."

"Yeah, not by much," I muttered. "Why were you fired?"

"Ah, well, someone had to take the blame," Chiron explained, "Lord Zeus was most upset. The tree he'd created from the spirit of his daughter, poisoned! Mr. D had to punish someone."

There were times when I didn't want to picture what Poseidon would turn me into, if I was dying. I pictured myself being either seaweed or a coral reef.

"Besides himself, you mean," Percy growled.

"But this is crazy!" Annabeth cried. "Chiron, you couldn't have had anything to do with poisoning Thalia's tree!"

"Nevertheless, some in Olympus do not trust me now, under the circumstances," Chiron said, sighing.

"What circumstances?" Percy asked.

"Pony?" Tyson whimpered.

I heard Eric inhale sharply at that.

"My dear young Cyclops! I am a centaur," Chiron said affronted.

"What happened to Thalia's tree," I asked, wanting to get back to the subject, instead of dealing with my Cyclops half-brother. I was aware I was taking that a little to well, but in a way, I was glad to have a sibling younger than me.

Chiron shook his head, "the poison used on Thalia's pine is something from the Underworld, Aria. Some venom even I have never seen. It must have come from a monster quite deep in the pits of Tartarus."

"It's obvious who was responsible for that," Eric said.

Percy said, "Yeah, Kro—"

"Do not invoke the titan lord's name, Percy," Chiron interrupted. "Especially not here, not now."

"But last summer he tried to cause a civil war in Olympus! This has to be his idea," Percy said. "He'd get Luke to do it, that traitor."

"Perhaps," Chiron said. "But I fear I am being held responsible because I did not prevent it and I cannot cure it. The tree has only a few weeks of life left unless…"

"Unless what?" Annabeth asked, sounding eager.

"No," Chiron said. "A foolish thought. The whole valley is feeling the shock of the poison. The magical borders are deteriorating. The camp itself is dying. Only one source of magic would be strong enough to reverse the poison, and it was lost centuries ago."

"What is it?" Percy said, determined, "We'll go find it!"

Chiron rested his hand on Percy's shoulder and he looked at me, "Percy and Aria, you must promise me that you will not act rashly. I told your mother I did not want you and Aria to come here at all this summer. It's much too dangerous. But now that you two are here, stay here. Train hard. Learn to fight. But do not leave."

"Why?" Percy demanded. "I want to do something! I can't just let the borders fail. The whole camp will be—"

"Overrun by monsters," Chiron finished. "Yes, I fear so. But you must not let yourself be baited into hasty action! This could be a trap of the titan lord. Remember last summer! He almost took yours and Aria's lives."

I remembered the pit scorpion and almost getting sucked down into Tartarus.

It looked like Annabeth was trying hard not to cry. Chiron brushed Annabeth's cheek and said, "Stay with Percy and Aria, child. Keep them safe. The prophecy—remember it!"

"I—I will," Annabeth said.

Chiron looked at Eric, "And you, too. Keep them safe as well."

"Uh—sure," Eric said, sounding confused.

"Um…would this be the super-dangerous prophecy that has Aria and me in it, but the gods have forbidden you to tell us about?" Percy said.

Nobody said anything. I looked at Eric, who held his hands up. "Don't look at me. I don't know anything about this prophecy."

I noticed that he had gotten new fingerless gloves. They didn't seem as threaded as before.

"Right," I muttered.

"Just checking," Percy muttered.

"Chiron…" Annabeth said. "You told me the gods made you immortal only so long as you were needed to train heroes. If they dismiss you from camp—"

"Swear you will two will do your best to keep Percy and Aria from danger," Chiron insisted, looking between Annabeth and Eric. "Swear upon the River Styx."

"I—I swear it upon the River Styx," Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I swear it on the River Styx," Eric said.

Thunder rumbled outside.

"Very well," Chiron said, looking like he relaxed a little. "Perhaps my name will be cleared and I shall return. Until then, I go to visit my wild kinsmen in the Everglades. It's possible they know of some cure for the poisoned tree that I have forgotten. In any event, I will stay in exile until this matter is resolved…one way or another."

Chiron patted Annabeth's shoulder awkwardly. "There, now, child. I must entrust your safety to Mr. D and the new activities director. We must hope…well, perhaps they won't destroy the camp quite as quickly as I fear."

"Who is this Tantalus guy, anyway?" Percy demanded. "Where does he get off taking your job?"

A conch horn blew. I didn't even know how late it was. It seemed like it was an hour ago, Percy and I were still at school.

"Good," Chiron said. "You will meet him at the pavilion. I will contact your mother, Percy and Aria, and let her know you two are safe. No doubt, she'll be worried by now. Just remember my warning! You two are in grave danger. Do not think for a moment that the titan lord has forgotten you both!" With that, he left the Big House.

"Pony! Don't go!" Tyson called after him.

Annabeth and Tyson both started crying. I sniffled and wiped my cheeks.

"Everything will be okay," Percy said, but I knew he didn't believe it.

* * *

The sun was starting to set behind the dining pavilion. The others were coming up from their cabins. I stood by with Percy, Eric, and Annabeth, watching as the others filed in.

"I promise to talk to you later," Annabeth said and went to join the line from Athena.

"So, did you every respond to your mother?" I asked Eric.

"I wasn't going to, but Clarisse threatened to dunk my head in a toilet, if I continued putting it off," Eric said. "That was about a week after she wrote me." He looked at his fingerless gloves.

"You're estranged from your mother, too?" Percy asked.

"She's in jail," Eric said.

Percy wisely didn't say anything after that.

Clarisse was leading the Ares cabin. She had one arm in a sling, and had a nasty-looking gash on her cheek. Eric started smirking and I noticed that Clarisse had a piece of paper on her back, which read: _YOU MOO, GIRL!_ Eric joined the line, which was followed by the Hephaestus cabin. There was seven in total, Charles Beckendorf, a fifteen-year-old black boy was leading them.

He was nice when you got to know him. No one ever called him Charlie, Chuck, or Charles, because they always called him Beckendorf. It was rumored that he can make anything.

The other cabins filed in: Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite, Dionysus. Naiads came up from the canoe lake; dryads melted out of the trees, and from the meadow came a dozen satyrs. They reminded me of Grover.

After the satyrs filed in, the Hermes cabin followed, being led by Travis and Connor Stoll. They weren't twins, but they looked eerily alike. I couldn't remember who was older. They were tall, skinny, and had brown hair that hung in their eyes. They wore orange CAMP HALF-BLOOD tee-shirts and baggy shorts. Percy thought it was funny that the god of thieves would have kids with the last name 'Stoll' but when he mentioned it to them, they didn't get the joke.

After the last camper filed in, Percy and I led Tyson to the middle of the pavilion. Conversations faltered and I saw heads turning.

"Who invited that?" an Apollo kid murmured.

"Well, well, if it isn't Peter and Abigail Johnson. My millennium is complete," Mr. Dr drawled.

"Percy and Aria Jackson…sir," Percy spoke through gritted teeth.

Mr. D sipped from his Diet Coke. "Yes, well, as you young people say these days: whatever." He was wearing his leopard-pattern Hawaiian shirt, walking shorts, and tennis shoes with black socks. Behind him, a nervous-looking satyr was peeling the skins off grapes and handing them to Mr. D one a time.

In Chiron's place was a pale, horribly thin man in a threadbare orange prisoner's jumpsuit. The number over his pocket read: 0001. He had blue shadows under his eyes, dirty fingers, and badly cut gray hair. He was what I pictured a junkie would look like.

"These children, you need to watch," Mr. D said to the junkie-looking man. "Poseidon's children, you know."

"Ah!" the prisoner said, "Those two." From the tone, it was clear they spoke about us. "I am Tantalus."

 _Was tetanus shots named after you?_ I thought.

"On special assignment here, until, well, until my Lord Dionysus decides otherwise," Tentalus continued. "And you, Perseus and Ariadne Jackson, I do expect you to refrain from causing any more trouble."

"Trouble?" Percy demanded.

"What trouble are you talking about?" I asked.

Mr. D snapped his finger and a newspaper appeared on the table. It was the front page of today's New York Post. There was mine and Percy's yearbooks photos from Meriwether prep. I couldn't read the headline, but I was sure that it read something like: Troubled Twins Torches School Gymnasium.

"Yes, trouble," Tantalus said, sounding smug. "You two caused plenty of it last summer, I understand."

I was too pissed to speak. It wasn't our fault that the gods had nearly started World War III.

A satyr slowly inched forward and set a plate of barbecue in front of Tantalus. Tantalus looked at his empty goblet, and said, "Root beer. Barg's special stock. 1967." The glass filled itself and Tantalus held out his hand, in an almost hesitant manner.

"Go on, then, old fellow," Mr. D said. "Perhaps now it will work."

Tantalus grabbed for it, but the goblet scooted away, before he could even touch. Drops of root beer spilled out, so he tried dabbing them, but the drops rolled away. Tantalus turned to his plate and picked up a fork. He tried stabbing a piece of brisket, but the plate skittered down the table, and landed into the coals of the brazier.

"Damn!" Tantalus muttered.

"Ah, well," Mr. D said in mock sympathy, "Perhaps a few more days. Believe me, old chap; working at this camp will be torture enough. I'm sure your old curse will fade eventually."

"Eventually," muttered Tantalus, staring at the coke can. "Do you have any idea how dry one's throat gets after three thousand years?"

 _Probably dryer than the Mojave Desert_ , I thought.

"You're that spirit from the Fields of Punishment," Percy said. "The one who stands in the lake with fruit tree hanging over you, but you can't eat or drink."

Tantalus sneered, "A real scholar, aren't you, boy?"

"You must've done something really horrible when you were alive," Percy said, sounding impressed.

"Yeah, something so horrible, that not even Hades sewed you in his clothes," I added.

"What was it?" Percy and I asked together.

I noticed that the satyrs behind him were shaking their heads. I took that as warning to not piss this guy off.

Tantalus narrowed his eyes at us. "I'll be watching you, Percy and Aria Jackson. I don't want any problems at my camp."

"Your camp has problems already…sir," Percy pointed out.

"Oh, go sit down, Johnsons," Mr. D sighed, "I believe that table over there is yours."

My face felt hot.

"Come on, Aria and Tyson," Percy said.

"Oh, no," Tantalus said. "The monster says here. We must decided what to do with it."

" _Him_ ," Percy snapped.

"He has a name," I said. "It's Tyson."

Tantalus arched an eyebrow. I wanted to pluck all of his eyebrow hairs and try to feed it to him.

"Tyson saved the camp," Percy insisted. "He pounded those bronze bulls. Otherwise they would've burned down this whole place."

"Yes," Tantalus sighed, "and what a pity that would've been."

 _And what the hell is wrong with this place?_ I wondered.

"Leave us," Tantalus ordered, "while we decide this creature's fate."

I tried not to feel guilty at that.

"We'll be right over here, big guy," Percy said. "Don't worry. We'll find you a good place to sleep tonight."

"I believe you," Tyson said. "You two are my friends."

We trudged over to the Poseidon table and sat down on the bench, across from each other. A wood nymph brought us plates of Olympian olive-and-pepperoni pizza. I picked the olives off, as I didn't like olives. It probably had something to do with that rivalry thing with Athena.

We got up and went to the bronze brazier and I scrapped the olives into the fire.

"Accept my offering, Poseidon," I muttered.

"Poseidon, accept my offering," Percy murmured at the same time as me, as he scraped portions off his plate.

The smoke released the smell of a clean sea breeze with wild-flowers mixed in. I couldn't figure out if dear ole' dad was listening to us.

We went back to our seat. I just started in on my pizza when the conch horn blew.

It took a bit for the talking to die down. "Yes, well, another fine meal! Or so I am told." I turned to see him reach for his dinner plate, but it shot away from him.

"And here on my first of authority," Tantalus continued. "I'd like to say what a pleasant form of punishment it is to be here. Over the course of the summer, I hope to torture, er, interact with each and every one of you children. You all look good enough to eat."

"Eat?" I muttered as Mr. D clapped politely, leading to some halfhearted applause.

Tyson was still standing at the head table, looking uncomfortable. He tried to move away, but Tantalus pulled him back.

"And now some changes!" Tantalus declared, giving us all a crooked smile. "We are reinstituting the chariot races!"

From what I've been told the chariot races were dangerous, which resulted in campers getting injured.

Murmuring broke out at the tables.

"Now I know that these races were discontinued some years ago due to, ah, technical problems," Tantalus continued.

"Three deaths and twenty-six mutilations," an Apollo girl called.

"Yes, yes!" Tantalus said. "But I know that you will all join me in welcoming the return of this camp tradition. Golden laurels will go to the winning charioteers each month. Teams may register in the morning! The first race will be held in three days time. We will release you from most of your regular activities to prepare your chariots and choose your horses. Oh, and did I mention, the victorious team's cabin will have no chores for the month in which they win?"

There was excited conversation. There would be no KP and stable cleaning for a whole month.

"But, sir!" Clarisse called, looking nervous. She stood up and there was snickers. "What about patrol duty? I mean, if we drop everything to ready our chariots—"

"Ah, the hero of the day!" Tantalus exclaimed, "Brave Clarisse, who single-handedly bested the bronze bulls!"

Clarisse blushed, "Um, I didn't—"

"And modest, too," Tantalus grinned. "Not to worry, my dear! This is a summer camp. We are here to enjoy ourselves, yes?"

"Eric was right," I muttered to Percy. "He isn't going to do a damn thing."

Clarisse started, "But the tree—"

"And now," interrupted Tantalus, as Clarisse's siblings pulled her back into her seat. "Before we proceed to the campfire and sing-along, one slight housekeeping issue. Percy and Aria Jackson and Annabeth Chase have seen fit, for some reason, to bring _this_ here." He waved a hand at Tyson.

There was uneasy murmuring and I knew I got looked at. I felt my face warm up and I knew I was near embarrassment tears. I blinked them back and bite the inside of my wrist, which Percy slapped at. I don't know why that habit bothered him so much. It wasn't like I was biting his wrist, which would've been even more disgusting.

"Now, of course," Tantalus continued. "Cyclopes have a reputation for being bloodthirsty monsters, with a very small brain capacity. Under normal circumstances, I would release this beast into the woods and have you hunt it down with torches and pointed sticks. But who knows? Perhaps this Cyclops is not as horrible as most of its brethren. Until it proves worthy of destruction, we need a place to keep it! I've thought about the stables, but that will make the horses nervous. Hermes's cabin, possibly?"

There was silence over at the Hermes table. Travis and Connor had developed a strange interest in the tablecloth. The Hermes cabin was over-capacity. Alexa had been at the camp for three years and Casey was going for a year, with no sign from their mothers.

Including Tyson would probably take up one-third of the cabin.

"Come now," Tantalus chided. "The monster may be able to do some menial chores. Any suggestions as to where such a beast should be kenneled?"

 _How about I kennel you?_ I thought, glaring at Tantalus. I felt my eyes widen at the dazzling holographic trident that was above Tyson's had. The trident emitted green light.

There was a gasp at the sight of the trident.

I looked at Percy, to see that he had paled.

Some campers waited in vain for it, like Casey and Alexa. I think the both of them had given up hope for being claimed.

Tantalus roared with laughter, making most of the camp laugh, too. Eric, Alexa, Casey, Annabeth, and a few others didn't laugh.

"Well!" Tantalus yelled. "I think we know where to put the beast now. By the gods, I can see the family resemblance!"

"Now he's just being an ass," I muttered to Percy.

Tyson was trying to swat the trident that was beginning to fade over his head. He didn't know how cruel people were; he was to naïve to even notice.

But Percy and I knew.

We had a Cyclops for a half-brother.


	27. Ch:6 When Demonic Pigeons Attack

Chapter 6: **When Demonic Pigeons Attack**

* * *

The next few days were hell, just like Tantalus wanted. I wasn't sure what we did to make him dislike us, but I knew Mr. D had something to do with it.

When Tyson moved into the Poseidon cabin, he giggled to himself every fifteen seconds and said, "Percy is my brother? Aria is my sister?" acting like he won _Mötley Crüe_ tickets.

"Aw, Tyson," Percy would say. "It's not that simple."

"Yeah, it's actually complicated," I would say back.

But it was no use. He was acting like he just met his favorite celebrity. Sometimes when I looked at Percy, he looked embarrassed or even ashamed.

I'll admit, I hadn't even thought about the myths about Poseidon. I read about the myths about him, but it didn't register that Cyclopes would be my half-siblings, until Tyson was bunking next to Percy, while I was in the bunk across from Percy.

The comments from some of the other campers weren't helping. It was like I turned into some big joke. Well, I was sure I was a joke before, being the girl who was thrown into Hades's dungeon last year, but still, I made it out alive.

Alexa, Casey, and Eric tried making me feel better. Eric had suggested that we should team up for the chariot race, since we all hated Tantalus. So, as we tried to design the chariot together, a few girls from Aphrodite came up.

"Do you need to borrow some body spray?" a girl asked.

"No," I said. "Why?"

"To hide the stench that your Cyclops brother emits," the girl said.

Before I could poke their eyes out, they walked away laughing.

"Don't listen to her," Casey said. "She just wishes she was as pretty as she is on the inside as she was on the outside."

"Not all Aphrodite kids are jerks," Eric said. "Clarisse's best friend is a child of Aphrodite and she's nice." He got a strange wistful look on his face and I rolled my eyes at that.

"Anyway," Casey started. "So, this chariot thing…"

Eric scratched his palm, lifting his gloves up a little and I noticed the scar on his palm again. I frowned, "How did you get that?"

He looked at me and pulled his glove off, revealing a similar scar on the back of his hand. He removed the other glove, revealing similar scars.

Casey's eyes widened at the scars. "How did—?"

"My mother," Eric said. "She…I have no clue what to call it. She tried to 'train' me," he used air-quotes. "She once tied me to a tree outside during winter and told me to figure out how to escape. She tried teaching me how to swim by throwing me in a lake."

"That's jacked up," Alexa said.

"That's not the worst thing she had done," Eric said, in a false cheerful tone.

"What's the worst?" I asked, feeling uneasy.

Eric held up his hands, showing us the scars. "When I was eight, she had me place my hands on the kitchen table. She proceeded to impale my hands to the table. She told me to figure out how to remove the knives and left. I sat down there at the table, watching the time on the microwave change. I sat there for three hours. I don't know who called the police or how they knew that I needed them, but they showed up. I don't know how they found her, but they arrested her. The next day after I left the hospital, I was dropped off here and I was handed a letter and told to go directly to the Big House and hand it to Chiron or Mr. D. I handed it to Chiron because he looked friendly."

"Who dropped you off?" I asked.

Eric shrugged, "Don't know. I like to think it was Ares, but the mortal world is a lot stranger than this world."

"I still wouldn't talk to her," Alexa said, "Especially if she impaled my hands on our dinner table."

"Well, I like to think that I'm a strange guy," Eric said.

"Yeah, that's true," Casey said. "Once, back at home, my dad had invited his friend, Jerry, over, but Sarah, my dad's girlfriend showed up. I'm not sure how it happened, but Jerry and I was sitting in the living room watching TV and eating cereal, as—" She paused and made a face. "I probably shouldn't finish that story."

"If they were doing what I think they were doing, I wouldn't," Eric said grinning.

Alexa and I exchanged looks and started laughing.

* * *

I met Silena when she gave Percy and me our first riding lesson on a pegasus. She had told us that there was only one immortal winged horse named Pegasus, who still wandered in the sky, but he had sired a lot of children. Pegaus's children weren't as fast or heroic, but they were named after the first and greatest.

Riding a pegasus wasn't that bad. It was like neutral territory. They were part horse and could fly in the air, and I could understand the pegasi.

There was a light brown pegasus, that didn't want anyone to ride her, but she took a liking to me. She told me her name was Rosemary and that she had came from an abusive place and ended up here. She had taken to calling me 'Milady' as a term of endearment. (Okay, it was annoying because Rosemary kept saying 'Milady' before the ending of every sentence.)

The problem was that Tyson wanted to ride the 'chicken ponies' but the pegasi got nervous around him.

I tried to tell the pegasi not to worry about Tyson because he wouldn't hurt them, but they didn't believe me. Percy tried, but they didn't believe him either. That had really upset Tyson, who had started crying.

Beckendorf from the Hephaestus cabin had no problem with Tyson. Beckendorf took Tyson to the armory, to teach him metalworking and claimed that he would have Tyson craft magic items like some kind of master in no time.

* * *

After lunch, Percy and I went to do some swordplay with Apollo's cabin. He would've gone to Annabeth, but from what he told me, they had gotten in some sort or argument over Tyson.

Percy easily defeated the Apollo kids, while I got my ass handed to me. I sucked at swordplay, so it must have helped them nurse their egos. They beat the Daughter of Poseidon, while they lost to the Son of Poseidon, what a fair trade.

After that, we went to do some archery. I easily beat Percy, who still sucked at archery. It just didn't seem the same without Chiron though.

In arts and crafts, I did some cross stitch embroideries of some Halloween decorations while Percy started making a marble bust.

"Hey," I said as marble shards landed on my aida cloth. "You're getting marble shards on me."

"Well, your getting your thread on my marble shards." Percy said looking frustrated as his marble bust wasn't apparently coming out correctly.

"The thread is called 'floss,'" I corrected. "What are you making anyway?"

"I was hoping to make a marble bust of Poseidon, so you can know what he looks like," Percy said.

I looked at the bust. "It looks like Sylvester Stallone."

"I know," Percy said, throwing aside his chisel and hammer. He groaned, "Let's go to the climbing wall."

I packed up my stuff and followed him to the climbing wall.

"Are you up to full lava-and-earthquake mode?" Percy asked me.

"Sure," I muttered.

"Pull your hair back this time," Percy said.

I really hated putting my hair in a ponytail. I hate the way my head fells tightened every time it's pulled back. "No," I told him.

"Your hair is going to get singed." Percy added, " _Again_."

I shrugged at. "It'll grow back."

"You might end up with an embarrassing bald spot," Percy said, grinning.

That was a good point. "I can live with myself. Besides, I might look bad-ass, bald."

"Whatever you say, Aria," Percy said, "Whatever you say."

* * *

In the evening, Percy and I did border patrol. Apparently some of the campers had kept up border patrol and even out worked out a schedule during free time, but they did it quietly. Tantalus had insisted that we forget about trying to protect the camp.

I figured that Tantalus really wanted to destroy the camp for some reason.

At the end of the day, we sat on top of Half-Blood Hill. We watched the dryads come and go, singing to the tree.

Satyrs brought their reed pipes and played nature magic songs. If looked like the pine needles seem to get full, the flowers smelled a little sweet, and the grass looked greener. As soon as the music stopped, the sickness came back in the air. It seemed the whole hill was infected.

I felt angry that Luke had done this, especially to someone that was his friend, someone he fought side-by-side with, but I felt sad. I felt sad that this place was dying over one man's anger and bitterness towards the gods.

I could understand why, Alexa and Casey hadn't been claimed yet, and it was frustrating to not know who their mothers are. All I know is that Alexa finds it easy to control the mist and even she knows that it's nothing special.

I think that Alexa and Casey had given up on hoping to be claimed.

* * *

That night, I was awoken by Percy shaking me awake.

"I had more dreams about Grover," Percy told.

I sat up at that. "Is he okay?"

Percy climbed up on the top and said, "I just heard snatches of Grover's voice. I heard him say 'It's here.'"

I frowned, "What's here?"

Percy shrugged, "Another time, he said, 'He likes sheep.'"

"Who likes sheep?" I asked, "Grover or that voice from your dream?"

Percy just shrugged.

* * *

The night before the chariot race, Eric and I finished our chariot. The top half was sea-green, and in black paint, I painted, "Kicking ass on the wild side," while he painted the bottom blood red with blood red waves. I thought it was a bit of an eye-sore but Eric thought it looked bad-ass, so I just smiled at him, while inwardly trying to hide my cringe at the chariot. He decided that he was going to ride shotgun as the fighter, so I agreed to that. I figured that it was a fair trade.

As we got ready for bed, Tyson said, "You are mad?"

I was confused and I looked at Percy, who was scowling. "Nah, I'm not mad."

Tyson lay down in his bunk as I climbed up to my top bunk.

"I am a monster," Tyson said.

"Don't say that," Percy said.

"Yeah," I replied. "Don't put yourself down like that. You're a good person."

"It is okay," Tyson said. "I will be a good monster. Then you will not have to be mad."

"You're not the monster, Tyson," I said. "Alexa, Casey, and Eric like you. The others are just…crappy people. They're acting as if their parents didn't have…" I stopped and fumbled for words that I can use without hurting his feelings. "Children like you," I finished lamely.

There was deep rumbling sound that let us know that Tyson was snoring.

"That was very nice of you, till the end," Percy said. "'Children like you.'"

"I couldn't say monsters or people like you," I said.

Percy sighed, "Good night, Aria, Tyson."

"Good night, Perce, Tyson," I said, flopping back on my pillow.

I closed my eyes.

* * *

The next morning it was gross because it was hot and humid and there was fog on the ground. As I was getting dressed, I had stuck Tidal Wave in my pocket. I figured that if we won, it would be a nice little tribute to Poseidon. All the way to the chariot race, Percy told me about the dream he had about Grover.

Grover had been wearing a wedding dress and was apparently stuck in a cave on an island. Apparently he went to Florida and turned left. Grover said that it was a trap and it's the reason why no satyr returned from the quest and that there's someone that's a shepherd. Apparently this Shepard has something that has nature magic so powerful, it smells like Pan. It tricks the satyrs into coming there, thinking that they've found him, but they get trapped and eaten by Poly—something or other that's _the_ Cyclops. Grover had almost gotten away and made it all the way to St. Augustine.

Apparently Grover's first empathy link worked then, and the bridal dress Grover was wearing was the only thing keeping him alive. The Cyclops thinks that Grover smells good, but Grover told him it was goat-scented perfume. The Cyclops can't see very well, because he's half-blind from the last time someone poked it out. However, the Cyclops will soon realize that Grover's a satyr and gave Grover two weeks to finish the bridal train, and the Cyclops is getting impatient.

Percy had promised that he and I will come to rescue Grover, who was in the Sea of Monsters. Grover wasn't sure where the Sea of Monsters was located. Grover had apologized for creating the empathy link…so now they're connected, which meant that if Grover died, Percy will too. Actually, he will live in a vegetative state for years afterward, which was basically the same thing.

What got me was this 'it' thing and why the nature magic was powerful enough to smell like Pan.

"I have to tell Annabeth," Percy muttered after he finished explaining.

"Why?" I asked.

"She might know," Percy said.

"But I could ask Alexa, Casey, or Eric. They might know," I countered.

"I thought Annabeth was growing on you," Percy replied.

"Yeah, it's unwelcome and unpleasant, like this blister on my toe," I grumbled. "And that doesn't excuse her calling Tyson a monster, or treacherous and deceitful. No matter what happened to her in the past. It's no excuse." With that, I stomped off to meet Eric, who was waving me over.

He picked up a bag that was in the chariot. He smiled at me wickedly, which reminded me of Ares. "I brought weapons."

"Okay," I said in a voice that sounded unnaturally high-pitched.

The racetrack was created in a grassy field that was between the archery range and the woods. Hepaestus's cabin had used the bronze bulls to plow an oval track, which were now tame due to their heads being smashed in.

There were rows of stone steps for the spectators, which was where Tantalus, the satyrs, a few dryads, and the rest of the campers who weren't participating, going to sit at.

There was an annoying roost of birds in the trees. How were they annoying? They weren't cooing, but made this submarine radar like sound, so they weren't ordinary birds, even though they looked like fat pigeons.

I stood beside a horse named Poppy and tried to calm her down because those birds were beginning to spook her.

"Right!" announced Tantalus as the teams began to gather around. A naiad brought him a platter of pastries and Tantalus was chasing a doughnut around the judge's table. "You all know the rules: a quarter-mile track, twice around to win. Two horses per chariot. Each team will consist of a driver and a fighter. Weapons are allowed. Dirty tricks are expected. But try not to kill anybody!" He smiled at us like we were naughty children. "Any killing will result in harsh punishment. No s'mores at the campfire for a week! Now ready your chariots!"

The Hephasetus team's chariot was made of bronze and iron; even the horses were made out of the stuff. I was expecting their chariot to have all kinds of traps and options.

Clarisse's chariot was blood red and was being pulled by two skeletal horses. She had javelins, spiked balls, caltrops, and other weapons. If those were her weapons, I didn't want to know what Eric had brought with him.

The chariot from Apollo's cabin was completely gold, and pulled by palomino horses. Their fighter had a bow, though he promised not to shoot regular arrows at the drivers.

Hermes's chariot was green and looked old, as if it hadn't been taken out of the garage in years. It was manned by the Stoll brothers, and I really didn't want to know what tricks they created.

That left Annabeth's chariot, Percy's, and mine.

Annabeth's chariot was a light gray color, with an owl on it, surrounded by two olive branches.

Tyson's and Percy's chariot was blue and white, with wave patterns on the side, and had a trident on the front.

It looked Annabeth and Percy was having a conversation. Tyson looked at me and waved, so I smiled and waved back.

"What weapons did you bring?" I asked Eric.

He unzipped the bag, showing me throwing knives and javelins. "I don't want to go all out, like Clarisse, but I figure I might injure or seriously m—I mean maim someone. Maybe Clarisse."

I was confused, "Why Clarisse?"

"She said that because I was on your side, it doesn't mean that she will go easy on us," Eric said. "In fact, she will be extra hard on us. I decided to the do the same in return."

"That's a healthy dose of sibling rivalry right there," I muttered, looking at the trees. It looked like more pigeons were there. They were screeching and it looked like they were rustling the whole forest. "Hey, look at those pigeons."

Eric turned to look and the conch horn sounded.

Tantalus called, "Charioteers! To your mark!"

Eric and I saddled up the horses and I took the reins, maneuvering the chariot to the starting line. Eric took out a javelin and examined it. "I think we will win."

 _I think we will lose,_ I thought. I noticed more pigeons gathered in the woods. They were screeching so loudly that the campers in the stands were beginning to notice. The trees were shaking under the weight. "My god, there has to be about a billion birds in the trees."

Tantalus shouted, "Charioteers! Attend your mark!"

A starting signal dropped. We were off to cheers.

 _CRACK!_

I looked back to see the Apollo chariot flip over, because the Hermes chariot rammed into it. The riders were thrown out, but the horses panicked because they were dragging the golden chariot across the track. Travis and Connor were laughing at that, but the Apollo horses ran into them, causing the Hermes chariot to flip over too.

Two chariots down, four more to go.

But Annabeth's chariot was farther ahead, she making her first turn around the first post.

We were behind Clarisse's and Percy's chariots, going neck and neck with Hephaestus.

Beckendorf pressed a button and a panel slid open on the side of the chariot. He yelled, "Sorry, Aria!"

I pulled on the reins, making the horses pull back right as three sets of balls and chains shot out towards the wheels on Percy's chariot. I pulled on the reins to go around on the other side of the chariot, almost crashing into Clarisse's.

"Punks!" Clarisse shouted as I managed to maneuver around her. I looked back and ducked as a javelin soared over me. "You're dead, Eric!"

We managed to make our first turn.

"What the hell?" Eric said as the pigeons rose from the trees. They were spiraling like a huge tornado, heading towards the track.

"Just focus on getting Annabeth out of our way! Jam their wheels!" I ordered, "And maybe Percy and Clarisse!"

"Hey!" Percy shouted. He was coming up next to me.

"Every man for themselves!" I shouted at him.

I heard screaming and the pigeons were dive-bombing the spectators in the stands.

"Duck!" Eric shouted and I ducked as he swung the javelin at me. There was a thunk as he smacked a bird out of the air, like it was a baseball. "Those are Stymphalian birds!" I grabbed the reins in one hand and dug in my pocket, pulling out Tidal Wave. I slashed at a bird, slicing it in half, creating dust and feathers.

"They'll strip everyone to bones if we don't drive them away!" Annabeth yelled as she slowed her chariot down to ride along us and Percy and Tyson.

"Tyson, we're turning around!" Percy said.

"Going the wrong way?" Tyson asked.

"Always," Percy grumbled, and steered the chariot towards the stands.

Annabeth and Percy rode along us.

"I suppose we could help," I said.

Eric looked at the track and then at the swarm of birds at the stands. I think we wanted to win as badly as I did, but he looked at the sky.

"All right," he said.

I pulled the chariot around and headed to the stands. I held my dagger up and shouted, "For Poseidon!"

I slashed at birds who probably thought that was a challenge. It sounded cool at the time to shout that before running into battle like that.

"Uh, yeah," Eric said, sounding at a loss for words, "For Ares!" He swung the javelin at the birds. He threw it and it soared in the air, impaling a bird and pinning it to the ground. The bird exploded into dust and feathers.

I pulled the horses to a stop and jumped down, running into the swarm. I got hit in the stomach by a bird, which I assumed felt like getting punched in the gut felt like.

It wasn't the most badass way I wanted to run into battle over. I bet Poseidon was cringing at how his daughter ran into battle and got nailed by a bird a minute in.

I slashed at the swarm, which seemed to be growing thicker, but I tried holding on.

"Shields!" an Apollo kid yelled.

I found Alexa and Casey huddled together in the stands, fending themselves off with a spear that they somehow acquired. I felt bronze beaks slash at me, but I held on. I wondered where Percy and Annabeth were. Hell, I wondered where Tyson was.

Clarisse tromped by with a sword, slashing and insulting the birds as she feathered and dusted them.

I think I saw Tantalus chasing something around, saying, "Everything's under control! Not to worry!"

I wanted to stomp up to him and yell, "Look at these demonic birds! What do you call this? A party?" If I did that, I was sure that he probably would take away my dessert privileges for a month.

I had to slash some birds out of the way, when I heard violins and moans. I was pondering what the hell that was, when the birds started flying into each other, like they were putting each other out of their misery, and started flying in circles. They flew skyward in a huge dark wave.

"Now! Archers!" Annabeth said.

Apollo's archers took aim and started shooting arrows at them. Within minutes, the ground had dead bronze-beaked pigeons on it. The rest was flying away.

I noticed that most of the chariots had been destroyed, including mine and Eric's. Nearly everyone was bleeding from bird pecks. The Aphrodite kids were upset because their hair was ruined and their clothes had been pooped on.

"Bravo!" Tantalus cried. "We have our first winner!" He walked to the finish line and awarded golden laurels to a surprised Clarisse. He looked at Percy and Annabeth, "And now to punish the trouble makers who disrupted this race."


	28. Ch:7 We Get Gifts from a God

A/N: Sorry for the long break. My Internet had been turned off and the library doesn't support the website, and I don't use Google docs.

* * *

Chapter 7: **We Get Gifts from a God**

* * *

The way Tantalus saw it; the Stymphalian birds were minding their own business when they went crazy over Percy and Annabeth's chariot driving, so Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth ended up with dish washing duty with the cleaning harpies. It was so unfair that Percy told him to chase a doughnut, which I laughed at.

I had my dessert privileges taken away for three months because I hadn't stopped the smartass comment that came from Percy and because I laughed. I think Tantalus was in the middle of hating me and tolerating my presence, because I got semi-along with Clarisse, who Tantalus seemed to favor. While we had to take a breather and put on some salve for all the scratches we accumulated from the birds, the ground got cleared up.

Tantalus had decided on having a full-coarse meal banquet for lunch over Clarisse's victory.

It turned out that we were going to have country-fried bird. The entertainment was watching Tantalus chase food around. When I laughed, he knocked another month off of my lost dessert privilege, so I was going four months without dessert.

After eating, Percy, Tyson, and Annabeth trudged off for dish washing duty. Alexa, Casey, Eric, and I made our way to the lake to go canoeing.

"Did anyone else get the feeling that Tantalus favors Clarisse?" Alexa asked.

"Me, too," Casey said.

I nodded. "Yeah, if it was anyone else, he would've been like, 'congratulations, you lived, how terrible' and then chase after a cake or something."

Eric snickered at that. We got in the canoe and pushed off. We started paddling.

"Percy had a strange dream about Grover," I said.

"Is Grover all right?" Casey asked, sounding a little worried.

"I-I'm not sure," I said. I explained to them about Percy's dream as best as I can remember.

I noticed how my friends looked at each other, their eyes wide.

Alexa looked giddy as she asked them, "Do you think he found it?"

"Found what?" I asked.

"The Golden Fleece," Casey said.

"That thing Europe died carrying over to some land?" I asked.

"Europa," Alexa corrected. "You need to listen better to lessons."

"Kind of hard when Annabeth keeps droning on and on," I muttered.

"Anyway, if Grover really found the Golden Fleece, it can heal Thalia's tree," Eric said.

Casey was looking at the Naiads in the lake, "Sounds _too_ perfect to me."

"Well, I want to find it anyway," I started. "I just want to know where to look."

"Where did you say Grover was again?" Alexa asked.

"In the Sea of Monsters," I said.

"Oh, you have to go to the Bermuda Triangle to get there," Eric said.

"But its been missing for centuries," Casey said.

"I think Grover found it, because they both radiate nature magic," I said. "It makes sense why satyrs never returned."

"Yeah, they get killed by Polyphemus," Eric said.

I asked, "Poly-femur?"

"Polyphemus," Eric corrected. "He's the worst of the Cyclopes and his island is in the Sea of Monsters."

"Searching for one tiny island in the Sea of Monsters…" Alexa started.

"Hey, I'm the daughter of the sea god, this is like my calling," I said.

"You'll have to talk to Tantalus and get approval for a quest," Alexa said.

"I'm betting ten drachmas that he'll say no and probably laugh," Eric said.

"I can tell him tonight at the campfire right in front of everybody. The whole camp will hear and they'll pressure him, because they don't want the camp to die. He won't be able to refuse," I said.

"Maybe," Eric said, sounding a little hopeful.

* * *

At dinner, Percy and I swapped stories on what we learned about the Sea of Monsters and what we decided on what to do with the information we got. We decided that at the campfire would be a good idea to announce our information.

At the campfire, Apollo's cabin led the sing-along as. The bonfire blaze was only five feet high, barely warm, and the flames were the color of lint. Apollo's cable was trying to get everybody's spirits up, but it wasn't easy after the afternoon's bird attack. I wasn't even happy after that event. I couldn't even muster up the strength to kick Percy in the shin when he told me that I was singing off-key and bringing the fire down as we sang: "Down by the Aegan," "I Am My Own Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandpa," and "This Land is Minos's Land."

I had seen the fire go twenty feet high, turn bright purple, and it was so hot that the whole front row's marshmallow burst into flame. And that was on a good night.

Dionysus had left early, muttering something about how even pinochle with Chiron was more exciting. He given Tantalus a disgusted look and headed to the Big House.

When the last song ended, Tantalus exclaimed, "Well, that was lovely!" He stepped forward holding a toasted marshmallow on a stick and tried to pluck it, but the marshmallow flew off the stick. He tried grabbing it, but the marshmallow dove right into the flames. He looked at us, smiling coldly, "Now then! Some announcements about tomorrow's schedule."

"Sir," Percy called.

I noticed on Tantalus's eye twitched, "Our kitchen boy has something to say?"

Some of the Ares campers snickered. Percy stood up and I hurried to my feet. Annabeth also stood up as well. I felt my eye twitch.

"We have an idea to save the camp," Percy announced.

Everything went silent and the campfire turned bright yellow.

"Indeed," replied Tantalus in a bored tone. "Well, if it has anything to do with chariots—"

"The Golden Fleece," Percy stated. "We know where it is."

The fire turned orange and Percy started talking about his dream about Grover and Polyphemus's island. Annabeth told everybody about what the Fleece could do.

"The Fleece is guaranteed to save the camp," I said.

"Nonsense, we don't need saving," said Tantalus.

We all stared at him. Was he serious? Thalia's tree was poisoned, monsters are invading the camp, and we're stuck with this useless lump.

"Besides," Tantalus continued quickly, "the Sea of Monsters of Monsters? That's hardly an exact location. You wouldn't even know where to look."

"Yes, I would," Percy said.

Annabeth whispered something to Percy.

"30, 31, 72, 12," Percy said.

The numbers that the Gray Sisters gave us?

"Oh-kay," Tantalus said slowly. "Thank you for sharing those meaningless numbers."

It finally clicked into place. "Those aren't meaningless. Those are coordinates."

"Yeah, latitude and longitude. We, uh, learned about it in social studies," Percy said.

Annabeth looked impressed. "30 degrees, 31 minutes north, 75 degrees, 12 minutes west. He's right! The Gray Sisters gave us those coordinates. That'd be somewhere in the Atlantic, off the coast of Florida. The Sea on Monsters. We need a quest!"

"Wait just a minute," started Tantalus.

"We need a quest! We need a quest!" the campers chanted.

The flames rose higher.

"It isn't necessary!" Tantalus insisted.

"We need a quest! We need a quest!" the campers chanted, louder.

"Fine!" shouted Tantalus, angry. "You brats want me to assign a quest?"

"Yes!" shouted the campers.

"Very well," said Tantalus. "I shall authorize a champion to undertake this perilous journey, to retrieve the Golden Fleece, and bring it back to camp. Or die trying."

I was starting to get excited. We were going to save the camp and rescue Grover.

Tantalus continued, "I will allow our champion to consult the Oracle! And choose two companions for the journey. And I think the choice of champion is obvious." He looked at Percy, me, and Annabeth as if he wanted to dunk us in honey and allow red ants to crawl over us. "The champion should be one who has earned the camp's respect, who has proven resourceful in the chariot races, and courageous in the defense of the camp. You shall lead this quest…" he paused as if waiting for a drum roll, "Clarisse!"

The fire changed different colors and then the Ares cabin started stomping, cheering, and chanting, "Clarisse! Clarisse!"

Clarisse stood up, looking stunned. She gulped and then puffed out her chest, looking proud. "I accept the quest!"

"Wait!" Percy shouted. "Grover is my friend. The dream came to me."

"Sit down!" called one of the Ares campers. "You had your chance last summer!"

"Yeah, he just wants to be in the spotlight again!" another Ares camper said.

Clarisse glared at us, and repeated, "I accept the quest! I , Clarisse, daughter of Ares, will save the camp!" The Ares campers cheered louder.

Annabeth protested, which made the other Athena campers join in. Everything went to hell when the other campers started taking sides, which resulted in shouting, arguing, and marshmallow throwing. When I started to think that the camp would wage a marshmallow war, Tantalus shouted, "Silence, you brats! Sit down! And I will tell you a ghost story."

We all moved back to our seats and I can feel the evil aura that Tantalus seemed to radiate. It seemed to be stronger than I had ever felt on any monster.

"This ghost story better be good," I muttered.

"Once upon a time, there was a mortal king who was beloved of the Gods!" Tantalus started and put his hand on his chest. I was pretty sure that he was talking about himself.

"This king," continued Tantalus, "was even allowed to feast on Mount Olympus. But when he tried to take some ambrosia and nectar back to earth to figure out the recipe—just one little doggie bag, mind you—the gods punished him. They banned him from their halls forever! His own people mocked him! His children scolded him! An, oh yes, campers, he had horrible children. Children—just—like—you."

He pointed at several people, including Percy and me.

"Of course," I muttered.

"Do you know what he did to his ungrateful children?" Tantalus asked in a soft tone. I suddenly felt a little sick, when the story came back to me. "Do you know how he paid back the gods for their cruel punishment? He invited the Olympians to a feast at his palace, just to show there was no hard feelings. No one noticed that his children were missing. And when he served the gods dinner, my dear campers, can you guess what was in the stew?"

 _His children_ , I thought, feeling even sick. Who in their right mind would hire this guy as an activity's director? I couldn't answer, because of the way that the firelight was glowing dark blue, it gave Tantalus an evil look.

"Oh, the gods punished him in the afterlife," Tantalus croaked. "They did indeed, but he'd had his moment of satisfaction, hadn't he? His children never again spoke back to him or questioned his authority. And do you know what? Rumor has it that the king's spirit now dwells at this very camp, waiting for a chance to take revenge on ungrateful, rebellious children. And so…are there any more complaints before we send Clarisse off on her quest?"

There was dead silence at that. Tantalus nodded at Clarisse, "The Oracle, my dear. Go on."

Clarisse shifted in her seat, like she didn't want the glory of being Tantalus's favorite. "Sir—"

"Go!" shouted Tantalus. Clarisse did an awkward bow and hurried to the Big House. Tantalus turned his attention back to Percy. "What about you, Percy Jackson? No comments from our dishwasher?"

I willed Percy not to say anything, and was relieved when he didn't. Tantalus looked at me, "And any comments from our dishwasher's twin?"

I gave him my best death glare, which didn't seem to faze him.

He continued, "Good." He addressed the camp, "And let me remind everyone—no one leaves this camp without my permission. Anyone who tries…well, if they survive the attempt, they will be expelled forever, but it won't come to that. The harpies will be enforcing curfew from now on, and they are always hungry! Good night, my dear campers. Sleep well."

He waved his hand, and the fire was extinguished, and we all trudged off towards our cabins in the dark.

* * *

Percy and I weren't sure how to explain to Tyson. He knew that we were sad and he knew that we wanted to go on a trip, but Tantalus wouldn't let us. Tyson was busy fiddling with pieces of metal that Beckendorf had given to him. Beckendorf gave him tools, springs, gears, and tiny wires.

"You two will go anyway?" Tyson asked.

"I don't know," Percy siad. "It would be hard. Very hard."

"And extremely difficult," I said. "We need a way to get to the Sea of Monsters. I highly doubt that Clarisse will ask us to join her."

"I will help," Tyson declared.

I was a little touched at that.

"No," replied Percy. He faltered and said, "We—uh, we couldn't ask you to do that, big guy. Too dangerous."

Tyson looked down at whatever he was assembling.

"What are you building?" Percy asked.

Tyson didn't answer, but made a whimpering sound. "Annabeth doesn't like Cyclopes. You…don't want me along?"

"Oh, that's not it," Percy said, sounding halfhearted. "Annabeth likes you." He added, "Really."

I glared at Percy. There was no need to lie. "Annabeth is a…complicated girl," I started slowly. I was trying hard to phrase what I wanted to say so I don't anger Percy. "She…has some…problems to work through. That's all. She'll come around, eventually. You shouldn't put to much stock in if she likes you or not. It's not worth it."

Tyson had tears in his eyes. He folded up his project in a cloth and lay down on his bed. He hugged the bundle to his chest and turned to the wall. I could see the strange scars on his back, like he got ran down by a tractor. I wondered how he got those.

Tyson was sniffling, "Daddy always cared for m-me. Now…I think he was mean to have a Cyclops boy. I shouldn't not have been born."

"Don't talk nonsense like that!" I exclaimed, horrified at that.

"Poseidon claimed you, didn't he?" Percy asked. "So…he must care about you…a lot…"

I thought about how Tyson lived on the streets of New York in a refrigerator box. Why did Poseidon let him live on the streets. Why kind of dad did that? For a moment, I was bitter towards Poseidon for that.

"Tyson…camp will be a good home for you. The others will get used to you." Percy said, "I promise."

"Yeah," I said. "Casey and Alexa like you."

Tyson sighed and we waited for him to respond, but he was already asleep.

I flopped back on my bed and looked at the ceiling. I wondered if Grover was okay and if the empathy link was real. If something happened to Grover, would Percy ever wake up?

I looked at the full moon, and listened to the surf rumbling in the distant, and the dryads laughing. If I concentrated hard enough, I could smell the strawberry fields.

There was a strange feeling about the night—Thalia's poisoned tree was spreading across the valley.

I hoped that Clarisse could save Half-Blood Hill. I think she could do well; she is Ares's daughter after all. I hoped that Eric went with her. He probably needs to get out of camp for once. He was stuck there since he was seven. What would happen if the camp died before Clarisse returned with the Golden Fleece? Where would Eric go, since his mother was in jail? What would happen to the other campers?

I was almost sleep when I heard Percy whisper, "Are you awake?"

"Barely," I muttered.

"Come on, I got some Cokes and a beach blanket," Percy whispered.

"I don't like Coke," I said.

"You don't have to drink it," Percy said.

"All right," I muttered getting down. I put on my shoes, grabbed my messenger bag that had my cross-stitch supplies in it, and we left the cabin, trying to be as quiet as possible. The harpies would either get us in big trouble or eat us.

Percy led me to the ocean.

* * *

Percy spread the blanket near the surf and I flopped down on it. I readjusted my belt of bronze crossbow bolts that I've taken to wearing all night, just in case monsters attacked and I needed to be prepared. Percy opened up a can and took a swig from it. Sugar and caffeine always calmed down our hyperactive brains. He asked, "Any ideas on how to save the camp?"

"No," I responded.

"Do you think you can ask Clarisse if you can tag along?" Percy asked. "She seems to like you a lot more than she likes me."

"She _doesn't_ like me," I corrected. "She _tolerates_ my presence." I thought about it, "a little. And it's because I'm friends with Eric."

"I wish Poseidon could talk to us, or give us advice, or something," Percy griped. He looked up at the sky. I looked, too. The sky was clear and very starry. I tried looking for the constellations that Annabeth had taught us.

The only one I can make out was Sagittarius, the rest was like doing dot-to-dot worksheets.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" a man asked.

There was a man standing right next to us. He was wearing nylon running shorts and a New York City Marathon. He looked slim and fit, with salt-and-pepper hair. He had a sly smile and he did look handsome. I recognized him from somewhere, but I couldn't place where. My brain still hadn't fully turned back on, especially since I was still half-asleep.

Did he take a midnight jog and landed up in the camp borders? Did the tree's magic weaken the borders so badly, that this guy slipped in? Who would jog in the middle of the night anyway?

"May I join you two?" he said, "I haven't sat down in ages."

I probably should've ran off and yell for help, but I didn't. "Sure," I said, scooting over on the beach towel.

"What she said," Percy said.

"Your hospitality does you credit," the man said. He noticed the Coke cans. "Oh, and Coca-Cola! May I?"

Percy held out a can as the man sat down next to me. He took a can and popped it open. He took a drink and sighed, "Ah…that hits the spot. Peace and quiet at—"

His cell phone went off.

"Spoke to soon," I muttered.

The jogger dude nodded and sighed. He pulled out his phone and I noticed that the cell phone emitted a bluish light. He extended the antenna, two green snakes started writhing around it. The man checked the screen and cursed. "I've got to take this. Just a sec…" He spoke into his phone, "Hello?"

There must've been an answer because he said, "Yeah. Listen—I know, but…I don't care if he is chained to a rock with vultures pecking at his liver, if he doesn't have a tracking number, we can't locate his package…A gift to humankind, great…You know how many of those we deliver—Oh, never mind. Listen, just refer him to Eris in customer service. I gotta go."

 _Eris?_ I thought. It dawned on me that this was Hermes, the messenger god. Suddenly I felt sad for him, because of what Luke had done.

Hermes hung up. "Sorry. The overnight express business is just booming. Now, as I was saying—"

"You have snakes on your phone," Percy said. I almost smacked him.

"What?" Hermes said, looking startled, "Oh, they don't bite. Say hello, George and Martha."

 _Hello, George and Martha_ , said a raspy male voice in my head.

 _Don't be sarcastic,_ said a female voice.

 _Why not? I do all the real work,_ George said.

"Oh, let's not go into that again!" Hermes said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Now, where were we…Ah, yes. Peace and quiet." He crossed his ankles and looked up at the stars. "Been a long time since I've gotten to relax. Ever since the telegraph—rush, rush, rush. Do you two have a favorite constellation?"

I looked up at the sky. I didn't have any favorite constellation.

"Uh, I like Hercules," Percy said, sounding a little distracted.

"Why?" asked Hermes.

"Well, because he has had rotten luck. Even worse than ours. It makes me feel better," said Percy.

Hermes chuckled, "Not because he was strong and famous and all that?"

"No," replied Percy.

"You're an interesting young man," said Hermes. "What about you, Aria?"

Using the basic English language to my advantage, I said, "Um…" I looked at the constellations, "I like Sagittarius."

"Why?" prodded Hermes.

"Well," I started. "There's a bow and arrow, Nikki Sixx is a Sagittarius…"

Percy snorted, "Of course."

I smacked his shoulder, and I admitted, "And it's the only one I can find."

"Interesting choice," Hermes said, nodding. "So, what now?"

"I don't know," I said.

 _I have Demeter on line two_ , Martha's voice said from Hermes's pocket.

"Not now," replied Hermes. "Tell her to leave a message."

 _She's not going to like that,_ said Martha. _The last time you put her off, all the flowers in the floral delivery division wilted._

"Just tell her I'm in a meeting!" Hermes said, rolling his eyes. "Sorry again, Percy and Aria. You were saying, Aria…?"

"Um…who are you, exactly?" asked Percy.

I groaned.

"Haven't you guessed by now, a smart boy like you? Your sister got it, a bit ago," Hermes said.

 _How did he know?_ I wondered.

 _Show him! I haven't been full-size for months,_ Martha pleaded.

 _Don't listen to her! She just wants to show off!_ George said.

Hermes took out his phone. "Original form, please."

The phone glowed blue and stretched into a three-foot-long wooden staff with dove wings sprouting out the top. George and Martha were coiled together around the middle, apparently full-sized now. It was a caduceus.

"You're Luke's father," Percy said. "Hermes."

Hermes pursed his lips and stuck the caduceus in the sand, like it was an umbrella. "'Luke's father.' Normally, that's not the first way people introduce me. God of thieves, yes. God of messengers and travelers, if they wish to be kind."

 _God of thieves works,_ said George.

 _Oh, don't mind George,_ said Martha. She flicked her tongue at Percy and then at me. _He's just bitter because Hermes likes me best._

 _He does not!_ George exclaimed.

 _Does too!_ Martha taunted.

"Behave, you two," Hermes warned, "or I'll turn you back into a cell phone and set you on vibrate! Now, Percy, you still haven't answered my question. What do you intend to do about the quest?"

"We—we don't have permission to go," Percy replied.

"No, indeed," replied Hermes. "Will that stop you two?"

"I want to go," said Percy.

"We have to save Grover," I said.

Hermes smiled, "I knew a boy once…oh, younger than you two by far. A mere baby, really."

 _Here we go again,_ George said. _Always talking about himself._

 _Quiet!_ Martha snapped. _Do you want to get set on vibrate?_

"One night," Hermes started, ignoring the snakes. "When this boy's mother wasn't watching, he sneaked out of their cave and stole some cattle that belonged to Apollo."

"Did he get blasted to tiny pieces?" asked Percy.

"Hmm…no," replied Hermes. "Actually, everything turned out quite well. To make up for his theft, the boy gave Apollo an instrument he'd invented—a lyre. Apollo was so enchanted with the music that he forgot all about being angry."

"Is there a moral to this?" I asked.

"The moral?" repeated Hermes. "Goodness, you act like it's a fable. It's a true story. Does truth have a moral?"

"Um…" Percy started.

"How about this: stealing is not always bad?" asked Hermes.

"I don't think our mom would like that moral," Percy said.

"I think I got it," I said.

 _Rats are delicious,_ said George.

 _What does that have to do with the story?_ demanded Martha.

 _Nothing, but I'm hungry_ , said George.

"What were you saying, Aria?" asked Hermes.

"You're telling us to sneak out of camp without permission," I said.

"Yes," Hermes said. "Young people don't always do what they're told, but if they can pull it off and do something wonderful, sometimes they escape punishment. How's that?"

I guess we were in a terrible situation, that even a god thought Clarisse was going to fail. "So you're telling us to go without permission," I said.

Hermes seemed to smile a little more. "Martha, may I have the first package, please?"

Martha opened her mouth and kept opening until it was as wide as Percy's whole arm. She belched out a stainless steel canister. It looked to be lunch box thermos with a black plastic top. The sides of the thermos had red and yellow Ancient Greek scenes—a hero killing a lion and a hero lifting up Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

"That's Hercules," Percy said, "But how—"

"Never question a gift," Hermes said. "This is a collector's item from Hercules Busts Heads. The first season."

"I never heard of it," I said.

"Great show," Hermes said. "Back before Hephaestus-TV was all reality programming. Of course, the thermos would be worth much more if I had the whole lunch box—"

 _Or it hadn't been in Martha's mouth,_ added George.

 _I'll get you for that,_ Martha said before chasing him around the caduceus.

As amusing as they were, they were starting to get a little annoying.

"Wait a minute," Percy said. "This is a gift?"

"One of two," Hermes said. "Go on, pick it up."

Percy picked it up and fumbled it. He turned it around and frowned, "It's a compass!"

"Is it?" I asked, grabbing the thermos. I dropped it, this time. One side was burning hot and the other side was freezing cold. I examined the pictures. The side facing the ocean was cold. Percy took it back.

"Very clever," Hermes said, looking surprised. "I never thought of that. But its intended use is a bit more dramatic. Uncap it, and you will release the winds from the four corners of the earth to speed you on your way."

Percy went to remove the lid. "Not now! And please, when the time comes, only unscrew the lid a tiny bit. The winds are a bit like me—always restless. Should all four escape at once…ah, but I'm sure you'll be careful. And now my second gift. George?"

 _She's touching me,_ George complains as he and Martha slithered around the pole. I think they were trying to wrestle.

"She's always touching you," Hermes stated. "You're intertwined. And if you don't stop that, you'll get knotted again!"

The snakes stopped and George opened his mouth, too. He coughed up a little plastic bottle. I scooped down and grabbed the bottle.

I looked at it, "These are chewable vitamins."

Percy looked at Hermes, "You're kidding?" He examined the vitamins. "Are those Minotaur shaped?"

Hermes took the bottle and rattled it. "The lemon ones, yes. The grape ones are Furies, I think." He examined them. "Or are they hydras?" He looked at us, "At any rate, these are potent. Don't take one unless you really, really need it."

"How will we know if we really, really need it?" asked Percy.

"You'll know, believe me. Nine essential vitamins, minerals, amino acids…oh, everything you need to feel yourself again," explained Hermes.

"Um, thanks," Percy said. "But Lord Hermes, why are you helping us?"

Hermes looked a little sad. "Perhaps because I hope that you can save many people on this quest. Not just your friend Grover."

I was confused and it dawned on me. "You mean…Luke, right?"

Hermes didn't answer.

"Look," Percy started. "Lord Hermes, I mean, thanks and everything, but you might as well take back your gifts. Luke can't be saved. Even if we could find him…he told us that he wanted to tear down Olympus stone by stone. He—he hates you especially."

Hermes looked up at the sky. "My dear young cousin, if there's one thing I've learned over the eons, it's that you can't give up on your family, no matter how tempting they make it. It doesn't matter if they hate you, or embarrass you, or simply don't appreciate your genius for inventing the Internet—"

"You invented the Internet?" Percy asked.

 _It was my idea,_ stated Martha.

 _Rate are delicious,_ said George.

I almost sighed at that.

"It was my idea!" Hermes said. "I mean the Internet, not the rats. But that's not the point. Percy, Aria, do you both understand what I'm saying about family?"

I nodded, "I think so."

"I—I'm not sure," Percy said.

"You will some day," Hermes said getting up. He brushed sand off of his legs. "In the meantime, I must be going."

 _You have sixty calls to return,_ Martha said.

 _And one thousand-thirty-eight e-mails_ , George said. _Not counting the offers for online discount ambrosia._

"And you two have a shorter deadline than you realize to complete your quest. Your friends should be coming right about…now."

As if one cue, I heard Annabeth and Tyson shouting for us from the sand dunes.

"I hope I packed well for you," Hermes said. "I do have some experience with travel."

He snapped his fingers and four yellow duffel bags appeared at our feet. "Waterproof, of course. If you ask nicely, your father should be able to help you reach the ship."

"Ship?" Percy and I asked.

Hermes pointed and I looked to see where he was pointing. There was a big cruise ship cutting across Long Island Sound, its white-and-gold lights glowing.

"Wait, I don't understand any of this," Percy said. "We haven't agreed to go!"

"I'd make up your mind in the next five minutes, if I were you," Hermes said. "That's when the harpies will come to eat you. Now, good night, cousins, and dare I say it? May the gods go with you." He opened his hand and the caduceus flew into it.

 _Good luck,_ Marth said.

 _Bring me back a rat_ , added George.

The caduceus changed into a cell phone and Hermes put it in his pocket.

He jogged off down the beach and a little way down; he shimmered and vanished, leaving us alone with a thermos, a bottle of chewable vitamins, and five minutes to make a decision.


	29. Ch:8 The Princess Andromeda

Chapter 8: **All Aboard the Princess Andromeda**

* * *

Percy and I were still staring at the waves when Annabeth and Tyson got to us.

"What's going on?" Annabeth asked, sounding a little breathless. "I heard you calling for help!"

"Me, too!" Tyson said, "Heard you both yell, 'Bad things are attacking!'"

"We didn't call you guys," Percy said. "We're fine."

"But then who…" Annabeth noticed the four yellow duffel bags, then at the thermos Percy was holding and the bottle of vitamins I was gripping. "What—?"

"Just listen," Percy said. "We don't have much time."

We told them about our conversation with Hermes. By the time we were finished, I heard screeching in the distance. It was the harpies.

"Percy, Aria, we have to do the quest," Annabeth said.

"We'll get expelled, you know," Percy said. "Trust me, Aria and I are experts at getting expelled."

"More like you get expelled and I get tacked on," I muttered.

"So?" Annabeth countered. "If we fail, there won't be any camp to come back to."

Percy said, "Yeah, but you promised Chiron—"

"I promised I'd keep you two from danger," Annabeth countered. "I can only do that by coming with you! Tyson can stay behind and tell them—"

"I want to go," interrupted Tyson.

"No!" shouted Annabeth, sounding like she was panicking. "I mean…Percy, Aria, come on. You know that's impossible."

I wondered why Annabeth seemed to have a grudge against Tyson. I noticed that Tyson and Annabeth were looking at us.

I wanted Tyson to stay here, but he wanted to help. He helped out with the bronze bulls, so he might prove some help. As we stood there, the cruise ship was getting farther away. The harpies were coming closer and Hermes had packed an extra bag for us to use. It would be a waste.

"He can come with us," I said.

"Yeah," Percy agreed, "Tantalus will punish him for us being gone."

"Percy, Aria," Annabeth started, sounding like she was trying to keep calm. "We're going to Polyphemus's island! Polyphemus is a an S-i-k…a C-y-k…" She stamped her foot in frustration. "You know what I mean!"

"Tyson can go if he wants to," Percy said.

"It's his decision," I said.

Tyson clapped his hands, "Want to!"

Annabeth gave me and Percy the evil eye. I gave one back to her. "What about Eric? He promised to keep you out of trouble."

"Let me waste time by running down to the Ares cabin, avoid the landmines, and knock on the door to demand for him to tag along," I said sarcastically.

"All right," Annabeth said. "How do we get to that ship?"

"Hermes said our father would help," Percy said.

"Well, then, Seaweed and Algae Brain? What are you two waiting for?" Annabeth said.

Percy stepped into the waves. I followed after him.

"Um, Dad?" called Percy. "How's it going?"

"Percy! Aria! We're in a hurry!" Annabeth whispered.

"We really need your help," I said. "All wee need to do is get to that ship—"

"Before we get eaten and stuff," Percy interrupted. "So…"

Nothing happened, with the waves crashing on the shore. The harpies sounded like they were just right behind the sand dunes. As I worried that I was going to become harpy chow, four white lines appeared on the surface. They moved fast towards the shore and as they neared the beach, the surf burst apart and the heads of three white stallions reared out of the waves.

"Fish ponies!" exclaimed Tyson.

The creatures pulled themselves onto the sand. They looked like horses in front, with their back halves looked like silvery fish bodies, with glistening scales and rainbow tail fins. One looked bigger than the others.

"They're Hippocampi!" I said, "Alexa and Casey told me about them."

"They're beautiful," Annabeth said.

I nodded in agreement. I think that was one of the other things we could agree on.

The one near Annabeth whinnied and nuzzled her.

"We'll admire them later," said Percy, "Come on."

"There!" a voice screeched. "Bad children out of cabins! Snack time for lucky harpies!"

There were five harpies coming over the top of the dunes. They were plump little hags with pinched faces and talons and feathery wings that were too small for their bodies.

"Tyson! Grab a duffel bag!" Percy ordered.

I grabbed the nearest duffel bag and mounted a Hippocampus.

Tyson was gaping at the Hippocampi.

"Tyson!" Percy and I shouted.

"Uh?" said Tyson.

"Come on!" Percy exclaimed. Annabeth and Percy managed to get Tyson moving. The others mounted their steeds and we were plunging into the ocean.

Riding a Hippocampus was easier than riding a pegasus. The wind whipped my hair out of my face; the Hippocampus was speeding through the wave so smoothly, that I hardly needed to hold on.

We got closer to the cruise ship; I realized how big it was. The cruise ship was probably ten stories tall, topped with another dozen levels of decks that had brightly lit balconies and portholes. The ship's name was painted in black letters that was lit by a spotlight, right above the bowline.

It said:

 _PRINCESS ANDROMEDA_

Attached to the bow was a three-story tall woman wearing a white Greek chiton. She was sculpted to look like she was chained to the front of the ship. She looked young and had flowing black hair. However, she looked terrified and her mouth was open, in some sort of silent scream. I didn't know what type of person wanted a screaming woman as their masthead.

I suddenly remembered the myth about Andromeda and how she had been chained to a rock by her parents as a sacrifice to some sea monster. Anyway, Percy's namesake, Perseus had saved her in time, and turned the monster to stone with Medusa's head. Perseus always won, so that's why Mom named Percy, Perseus. Well, Perseus was one of the only heroes in Greek myths who got a happy ending.

It was sort of like my namesake. I was named Ariadne because she married a god, Mr. D. Well, after Thesus dumped her and left her stranded on an island. Mr. D married her and when she died, he made her an immortal. So, Ariadne got a happy ending in the end; after dying first. That's why Mom named me after her. I wasn't entirely sure how to feel about being named after a woman who got left behind on an island after being dumped.

The hippocampi skimmed along the starboard side of the ship and pulled up next to a service ladder that was bolted to the side of the hull.

"Aria, go first," Percy said. I grabbed my duffle bag and put the strap on my shoulder. I grabbed the bottom rung and started climbing. I looked at the hippocampi, "Thank you." It whinnied and dove back under the water.

"You first," said Percy. Someone climbed after me after I was a little less than halfway up. I turned to see Annabeth. I almost rolled my eyes. I was halfway up, when I heard laughing. I turned to see Tyson was doing full aerials and some type of skateboard trick that I had seen Percy attempt to do before.

Tyson was laughing hysterically.

"Tyson!" I hissed at him. He was going to get us caught.

"Tyson, shh!" Percy said. "Come on, big guy!"

"Can't we take Rainbow?" Tyson asked.

I stared at him, arching an eyebrow. Who the hell was Rainbow?

" _Rainbow?_ " Percy asked, sounding incredulous.

The hippocampus whinnied.

"Tyson, we're on a mission," I said.

"Yeah," Percy said. "Rainbow…well, he can't climb ladders."

Tyson sniffled and buried his face in Rainbow's mane. "I will miss you, Rainbow!"

Rainbow made a neighing sound, which I was sure meant Rainbow was crying.

"Maybe we'll see him again sometimes," Percy suggested.

"Oh, please!" Tyson said, perking up. "Tomorrow!"

"Yeah," I said, "Tomorrow."

Percy somehow convinced Tyson to say goodbye to Rainbow and made him climb the ladder.

* * *

We got on the maintenance deck that was stacked with yellow lifeboats. There was a set of locked double doors. Annabeth made me keep lookout while she pried the doors open with her knife. I stared at the ocean and listened to her curse in Ancient Greek. I tried drowning her out by muttering _Kickstart My Heart_ by Mötley Crüe under my breath.

"Can you keep it down?" Annabeth snapped at me.

I was standing next to her, so that's probably why she heard me.

"Don't…" Percy said. "Just don't start anything, Aria." He looked at me, "I'm amazed you can understand what that guy was singing."

I was deeply offended, "Hey. 'That guy' has a name. His name is Vince Neil."

"I'm amazed that you can understand what _Vince Neil_ was singing," Percy said in a tone mocking me.

"I can't believe you two are arguing over some guy's name," Annabeth muttered as she worked on the door.

"Vince isn't 'some guy'," I snapped. "He helped write one of the songs that probably helped influenced an entire generation of rock bands to record at least one power ballad for release on at least one record. Virtually every band tried to emulate _Home Sweet Home_."

Annabeth stared at me like I just spoke a foreign language at her, probably Mandarin or something. She opened the doors.

Percy grabbed me by the shoulders, "Let's go," and hauled me inside.

"Well, he isn't," I said.

"What are you singing anyway?" Annabeth asked.

"Mötley Crüe," Percy said. "When we were eight, Mom made the mistake of turning up one of their songs the radio. Every since that day, Aria's been a Crüe fan. Mom regrets that decision every day."

"No she doesn't," I said.

"Whatever," Percy said. He looked at Annabeth, "Just never insult her by insulting Mötley Crüe or any of the band members, unless you want to be verbally destroyed by facts."

"Okay," Annabeth said sounding confused.

We went down a few corridors. I was expecting to see someone, but it seemed empty. We found a balcony and looked over it, at a huge promenade that was lined with closed shops. There wasn't anyone to hide from. I was sure that maybe it had something to do with being in the middle of the night, but then again, we walked like half the length of the boat, only to not come in contact with no one. We continued walking passed a lot of cabin doors. I even pressed my ear against a door to try and hear some movement or someone snoring, but I heard nothing.

"It's a ghost ship," Percy murmured.

"No," said Tyson, playing with the strap of his duffel bag, "Bad smell."

Annabeth was frowning, "I don't smell anything."

"Cyyclopes are like satyrs," Percy said. "They can smell monsters. Isn't that right, Tyson?"

I remembered the dodgeball game back at Meriwether. "Yeah, they do."

Tyson nodded. I looked at him. The Mist was doing its distortion thing. It looked like Tyson had two eyes instead of one, but if I concentrated very hard, I could see one.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "So what exactly do you smell?"

"Something bad," Tyson said.

"Great, that clears it up," Annabeth grumbled.

"Come on," I said. "He's doing the best he can. He's only a baby…in Cyclopes years."

Annabeth gave me an unimpressed look.

We walked, coming up on the swimming pool level. There were rows of empty deckchairs and a chain curtained, closed off bar. There was water in the pool, which glowed in an eerie manner. I watched it slosh back and forth due to the motion of the ship.

There were more levels, there was a climbing wall, a mini-golf course, a revolving restaurant, but there weren't any signs of life.

However, I felt something familiar and dangerous. I was sure that I could put a name to whatever I was feeling, if I wasn't feeling tired and burnt out. The adrenaline was wearing off.

"We need a hiding place," Percy said. "Somewhere safe to sleep."

"Sleep," Annabeth said.

We explored some more corridors until we came across an empty suite on the ninth level. The door was open, which I found a bit weird. We went in and I spotted a basket of chocolate treats on the table. There was even an iced-down bottle of sparkling cider on the nightstand, which reminded of the times Mom, Percy, and I celebrated New Years' Eve by drinking sparkling cider out of champagne glasses right at midnight. There was a mint on the pillow that included a handwritten note that said: _Enjoy your cruise!_

I opened my duffel bag for see that Hermes had put extra-clothes, toiletries, camp rations, an airtight bag full of money, and a leather pouch full of golden drachmas. He even packed a bundle of celestial bronze bolts and my denim jacket for me, which I stuck in my messenger bag, Tyson's oilcloth, and Annabeth's invisibility cap. It was very thoughtful of him. I thanked him in my head for it.

"I'll be next door," Annabeth said. "You guys _don't_ drink or eat anything."

"You think this place is enchanted?" Percy asked.

Annabeth frowned, "I don't know. Something isn't right. Just…be careful."

"I'll be next door," I said, before leaving and going in the room next door.

It was the same as Percy's and I changed my clothes. I moved the bolts to my messenger bag, just in case. I lay down on my bed and I looked at the iced-down bottle of sparkling cider, instantly feeling homesick.

I thought I heard whispering and I instantly sat up at that. We were alone on this ship, so how can there be whispering. I grabbed my dagger out of my bag and I put it under my pillow and tightened my grip under it. I wanted to throw open my door, but in a way, I was kind of scared.

The whispers reminded me of the spirits from the Underworld.

Somehow I feel asleep.

 _I was standing in a cavern at the edge off the entrance to Tartarus. A cold laugh echoed up from it._

If it isn't the young heroes _, Kronos said,_ on their way to another great victory.

 _I wanted to yell at him, I wanted to demand why he was targeting us. I wanted to do something, but I couldn't. What was I supposed to do to something that was already destroyed?_

Don't let me stop you, _Kronos said._ Perhaps this time, when you both fail, you'll wonder if it's worthwhile slaving for the gods. How exactly _has_ your father shown his appreciation lately?

 _I thought he had a point, but then the hippocampi came to mind. He helped us._

 _Kronos started laughing._

I woke up to hearing the ship's whistle a voice on the intercom. "Good morning, passengers! We'll be at sea all day today. Excellent weather for the poolside mambo party! Don't forget million-dollar bingo in the Kraken Lounge at one o'clock, and for our _special guests_ , disemboweling practice on the Promenade!" The guy sounded Australian and way to happy.

 _Wait a minute…special guests? Disemboweling practice?_ I thought. This couldn't be good. I got up and opened the door to see Annabeth going to Percy's door. Her eyes were wide and her hair was a mess. Annabeth knocked on the door and when Percy opened the door, Annabeth said, " _Disemboweling_ practice?"

" _Special guests_?" I said in a shrill voice.

Percy sighed, "That's what I thought I heard. Give us a few minutes." He closed the door and I went back to my room. I closed the door and I grabbed my bag and Tidal Wave. I stuck a few camp rations in my bag, just in case. I grabbed the cash and drachmas. I wasn't sure why, but I thought that maybe it might come in handy.

Someone knocked on the door and I went to open it. It was Percy with Annabeth. We went out into the ship. My mouth opened at the sight of other people. There was a dozen senior citizens heading out and a dad was taking his three kids to the pool. There were crew members in white uniforms, tipping their hats at the passengers.

"How?" I asked, confused.

Nobody even seemed to notice us as they walked on.

"We are on a cruise. We are having fun," said the dad to his kids.

"Yes," said the three kids. "We are having a blast. We will swim in the pool." The kids looked expressionless.

"Good morning," a crew member said to us. "We are all enjoying ourselves abroad the Princess Andromeda. Have a nice day."

"Percy, Aria, this is weird," Annabeth said.

"I know," I said. "It's like they're hypnotized."

"Trance," said Annabeth. "It's like they're in some kind of trance."

We passed a cafeteria and I had to do a double-take. A hellhound had its front paws on the buffet counter, its muzzle buried in the scrambled eggs. It was small, the size of a grizzly bear, so it was probably young. I was nearly terrified at the sight because Percy and I nearly got killed by one of those.

The middle-aged couple standing behind the hellhound was standing there, not even reacting to the sight of a hellhound chowing down on the scrambled eggs.

"Not hungry anymore," Tyson said.

A reptilian voice said, "Ssssix more joined yesssterday."

Annabeth gestured to the nearest hiding place, which turned out to be a women's restroom. We went inside and I closed the door, I heard a strange slithering sound. It sounded like sandpaper being used. I had taken woodshop as an elective at Meriwether.

"Yesss," a second reptilian said. "He drawssss them. Ssssoon we will be sssstrong."

The things slithered away, making a strange hissing sound, which probably meant that they were laughing.

"I think we really need to get out of here," I said.

"You think I _want_ to be in the girls' restroom?" Percy asked.

"She means the ship, Percy!" Annabeth said. "We have to get off the ship."

"Smells bad," Tyson said. "And dogs eat all the eggs. Annabeth and Aria are right. We must leave the restroom and ship."

Percy shuddered. If Tyson, Annabeth, and I were agreeing on one thing, it was probably bad.

"—only a matter of time," said a familiar voice. It was more chilling than a monster. "Don't push me Agrius!"

It was Luke.

"I'm not pushing you!" another guy growled. "I'm just saying, if this gamble doesn't pay off—"

"It'll pay off," Luke snapped. "They'll take the bait. Now, come, we've got to get to the admiralty suite and check the casket."

It sounded like they were walking away.

 _Casket?_ I thought. _What casket?_

Tyson whimpered. "Leave now?"

Annabeth and Percy looked at each other.

"We can't," Percy said.

"Why not?" I asked. I didn't care at the moment. All I wanted was to get off that ship.

"We have to find out what Luke is up to," Annabeth said. "And if possible, we're going to beat him up, bind him in chains, and drag him to Mount Olympus."


End file.
